Adult Disabilities Activity Club celebrates 40 years

A Dersingham club that provides activities for adults with a range of disabilities celebrated its 40th birthday on Thursday 19th June with a party at Dersingham sports and social club.

Members of the club, called Phobbies, sang and danced to live music by Jamming Joe, coloured in banners, played a prize raffle, ate party food made by its volunteer members and generally had a good catch up.

Maggie Ponder, chair of the club’s organising committee said, “It’s amazing how long Phobbies has been running, the range of activities we do is brilliant and it is a highlight of the week for many of our members, and we thought that this was really worth celebrating. The way that all our volunteers have come together for this party has been fantastic”.

Dersingham Phobbies was set up in 1985, originally as a hobbies club for adults with physical disabilities, following a club established in Kings Lynn a few years earlier, which unfortunately no longer operates. Dersingham Phobbies continues to meet each week in the social club on Lynn Road, Dersingham, and has expanded over the years to include anyone with a disability or suffering social isolation. The club is run entirely by volunteers and activities vary from painting, drawing, model making, knitting, rug making and helping each other.

Maggie added, “Phobbies is open to anyone and we are always in need of volunteers who enjoy assisting the less able, or who can help with fund raising or club administration. No regular commitment is needed”.

Phobbies meets every Thursday from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm at Dersingham social club, Lynn Road, Dersingham. Weekly subscription is £2 tea; coffee and biscuits are provided free but everyone brings a packed lunch. Anyone who is interested in joining can just drop in on a Thursday session or contact Maggie Ponder on 07967 799816.