Russian 65+ Club

What about the Russian 65+ Club?

This was the initiative of Irina Abnizova. The format and size may have been fairly modest, but it was definitely running!

There were eight active members + about ten more potentially interested but hesitating.

One would not call it bubbly, but people did meet up, socialised, learned something new, and exchanged their experiences of surviving and having fun in the UK. They usually met in small groups of two or three, except for special, bigger events, such as birthday parties or the International Women’s Day (8^th March) celebration.

Young at heart: Some objected to the ageist concept of the “Club 65+”, so a new name was considered. One of the proposals was “Golden Youth”. One of their young and active grannies used to bring her lovely grandchildren to the Club, and their cheerful company became one of the highlights of their gatherings.

It is international: Together with Russian and Ukrainian members, there was a native English member, and a few Russian-speakers of other ethnic backgrounds.

How it works: Club members run their meetings and activities partly independently, and partly with the help of their families. They are not usually comfortable asking their grown-up sons and daughters directly for any support or assistance (e.g. for money to buy concert tickets), so preempting this difficulty by running the club in collaboration seems a good working solution.

Practical benefits: There is a number of very practical common problems that we can discuss and benefit from each other’s experience – such as visa applications and court-winning cases for elderly parents. Personally, I’ve already shared my experience with about four other families in a similar position. There are people around who have already been successful at winning the ‘new requirements’ cases.

Some of the activities:

• Listening to promenade concerts at the Fitzwilliam museum (6 or 7 Sundays);
• Visiting the Anthropology Museum (once);
• Celebrating 8^th March at one of our homes;
• Celebrating a very special birthday (80 years) of a member;
• Visiting the pretty village of Orwell near Cambridge, where one of the members lives, and enjoying scenic walks in the area.
• Numerous group walks in Cherry Hinton Park, Fulbourn Fen Reserve etc.;
• Attending a talk by Marlen Hutsiev (a legendary Russian filmmaker) and watching his film “I’m 20” at Trinity College;
• Attending CamRuSS early-May barbecue “Mayovka” in Wandlebury Park;
• Regular participation in Russian-English Conversation Group’s meetings at Waterstones;
• Listening to an organ recital at King’s College Chapel (once, self-organised).
• New activity: a joint flight to Moscow.

Other Plans:

• A trip to Stonehenge (postponed due to lack of interest/money);
• A strongly desired trip to Scotland;
• Joining the the local Russian Book Club and/or Drama Club.

By Irina Abnizova,
The 65+ Club Coordinator; email: Irina_abnizova@yahoo.co.uk

Update: this club is no longer running.