Fun and Games with BOB Network
Bromley u3a member Carole talks about how the Bromley Orpington and Beckenham Network celebrated u3a week with a Games Day.
First suggested by Orpington u3a member, Irmgard, as a Mah Jong challenge between the Bromley, Orpington and Beckenham groups, like Topsy, it just grew to accommodate a wide range of games and activities. This included card games such as canasta and cribbage, board games such as draughts and Trivial Pursuit, word games such as Scrabble and Boggle, intellectual games such as Mah jong and Go as well as more physical games like Giant Only Connect and Table skittles and a range of jigsaw puzzles. It didn’t matter if you were a seasoned player or a complete novice as there was plenty of support on hand to help teach old dogs new tricks.
Some people came alone and others with friends, but it didn’t matter because in no time at all everyone had found something to engage their interest and we were all chatting and laughing like old buddies.
Tea, coffee, biscuits and sausage rolls were freely available, courtesy of Orpington u3a whose volunteers attended to the catering. The event was supposed to end at 1pm but many of the 90 attendees were so involved in their games that they didn’t want to stop.
Great fun was had by all and it was generally agreed that we need more events like this which truly lived up to the u3a slogan – Live, Laugh, Learn.
Thanks are due to Orpington u3a for coming up with the idea in the first place, opening it up to Bromley and Beckenham, booking the Crofton main hall, being responsible for the catering and clearing up afterwards, as well as to all those who brought along games to play.
The get-together also generated a new enthusiasm for playing games which has already led to the opening of two new Bromley groups for board and card games.