Aberfeldy woman Anne Duff knows all about the “best job in the world” – because she insists she has it!
For six years, the 61-year-old has been co-ordinating the Horizon Lunch Club, which meets in the Highland Perthshire town twice a week.
Its aim is to support the over 70s by preventing isolation and providing lunches, friendship and fun.
The club aims to provide a nutritious three-course lunch, two days a week in the town hall, at an affordable price.
Crucially, however, it provides a safe environment for members to enjoy a good chat and catch up with friends.
How did Anne get involved with the Aberfeldy Horizon Lunch Club?
Anne is originally from Bathgate.
But when her husband John, who is now an Aberfeldy councillor, retired from the police in Glasgow 13 years ago, they returned to his home town.
The couple have two grown-up sons.
One is an engineer in Portsmouth. The other is a police officer in Methil, Fife.
Anne worked as an administrator for the Scottish Prison Service and for a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in Hamilton.
She also worked at Infinity Blue dentists in Pitlochry.
She’s in no doubt that what she does now with the independent registered charity is amongst the most rewarding things she’s ever done.
“As charity co-ordinator for the Horizon Lunch Club, I’m responsible for the overseeing of it all,” she explained.
“I make sure we do grant funding and oversee the cooking and collections and transportation and general wellbeing of our members.
“If they are not well, we report it back to outside agencies like doctors, nurses, family.
“We also just encourage a wee bit of friendship and local community amongst older isolated people in Aberfeldy.”
How does the Aberfeldy Horizon Lunch Club operate?
The Horizon Lunch Club, which has been running for 16 years, meets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays with 24 attending each day.
Most members are over 75, with the oldest 96 and the youngest 74.
Members have a three-course lunch and sometimes a little dram if it’s a birthday or anniversary.
Afterwards, they’ll have a game of bingo and sometimes a sing song and a “bit of a carry on”.
“We get great feedback from it all, and we are very well supported in the town,” said Anne.
“We gets discounts from a lot of the local businesses.
“So we are very very well supported in the town and are very well known.”
Aberfeldy Horizon Lunch Club could not exist without volunteers or funding
Anne said they have a pool of 12 local volunteers that give up their time to help serve and to transport people.
It costs about £40,000 per year to run the club.
While some fundraising comes from events like coffee mornings and raffles, most of their existence is grant funded.
Last year they got a grant from the Gannochy Trust and the Enchanted Forest Community Fund.
Since September, this has allowed lunches – previously charged at £5 per head – to be offered free.
This will be the case up to September/October this year with other funding applications being worked on before then.
“It’s wonderful – it’s a great job,” she added.
“I’ve got the best job in the world!
“You get to listen to all their life stories and what interesting lives they’ve had.
“They are just so appreciative of everything you do, so, it’s just a brilliant job. I love it.
“And it’s really just good to see them all so happy and interacting with each other, because they are all old friends and they’ve just sort of lost contact because they can’t’ get out and about.
“They all come and have a good gossip and a catch-up.
“The girls get their lippy on and they get all dressed up. It’s good. It’s really really good.”
Anne describes Aberfeldy as a “brilliant wee town” with plenty community spirit.
“From during Covid-19 when everyone was out delivering meals, to doing different things now – it’s very very supportive,” she said.
“Youngsters and older people are well looked after. But older people in particular get really well supported.”
Lunch club supported by Enchanted Forest Community Trust
The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, the charitable organisation behind the sound and light show held annually at Faskally Wood outside Pitlochry, recently launched its 2024 community fund. Applications closed on March 31.
The fund was set up by The Enchanted Forest Community Trust in 2015 to redistribute the proceeds from the annual event to the local community in Pitlochry and the wider Highland Perthshire area.
Conversation