Welcome to the Sunday Scene

20 September 2008

Greetings,

Many of you may have been confused to discover that the Editorials for August and September 2008 had disappeared and there were no new ones, for which we apologise.  Our website has been undergoing upgrading and in the process we hit unexpected technical problems.  It may be a few weeks yet before we get everything as we’d like it so please bear with us in the meantime. 

On 4 September we held our final AGM & Dissolution Meeting of the Voluntary Organisation of Sunday Scene Breakfast Clubs (see photo in the News section).  It was a happy affair and one of celebration rather than sadness, for all our well established Social Clubs are flourishing, much social activity is continuing and wonderful friendships have been forged in the three years since we initiated the Breakfast Clubs. I’ve now become an honorary member of the clubs and continue to enjoy the regular meetings and outings whilst focusing more on our website.  We’re continuing to hold periodic meetings, with each club represented by a few nominated people so that there’s a continuous exchange of news and information and our two MA students based at Brighton University continue to work on our joint research project into the effects of widowhood on home life and leisure.

I was interested to read that Sheila Hancock has written a sequel to her book ‘The Two of Us’ following the death of her husband, actor John Thaw. In ‘Just Me’ Ms. Hancock, in her own inimitable style, gives a witty and poignant account of how she has rebuilt her life. We will be reviewing the book soon but if any of you read it and would like to comment please let us know via the e-mail address editorial@sundayscene.co.uk and we can include your comments in the review.

Volunteering has been to the forefront of my mind these last few months and it’s something many widowed people feel called to do, either as a thank you to those organisations such as hospices that have cared for loved ones or simply to do something useful and meaningful with the time on their hands. Most towns & cities have an office of the Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) and the wealth of opportunities available is quite staggering. For many of our members, volunteering has been a Godsend but some have commented that it was important for them to do it when they really felt both physically and emotionally ready rather than because they felt they ought to. It might be helpful to ask yourself how you would personally like to benefit from volunteering – would it be to learn something new, to meet more people, to utilise your skills or experience, to give back, to have a structure to your week/weekend, environment etc. Ask questions – quite by chance I discovered that if I’d volunteered for a particular opportunity I had in mind, I would have had little chance to meet new people as the volunteers all go in at different times of the week or month and what I really wanted was to make new friends!

As autumn approaches it’s time to start stocking up on good books, DVD’s (Mama Mia definitely on my list), CD’s and anything else that helps fill the dark evenings.  A few of my single friends and I copy young people and have ‘sleepovers’ to avoid going back to an empty house in the dark after an evening out. It’s fun and you get to enjoy a leisurely breakfast the next morning too!

Jacquie