While 19 per cent of all British Columbians are over the age of 65 (according to the 2021 Census of Canada), the senior population in the Southern Interior is nearly twice that.
Thanks to several organizations, however, seniors in the Ashcroft, Cache Creek, Clinton, Spences Bridge, and the surrounding area have a variety of activities available to them.
For many years the Ashcroft/Cache Creek Seniors’ group has been based out of the village office building at 601 Bancroft Street, Ashcroft. Anyone aged 55 and older is welcome to join, and the annual membership is only $15 per year. The centre is open six days a week, offering a variety of activities starting at noon every day except Sundays.
On Monday afternoons there is bridge, and a popular crib group meets every Thursday, welcoming everyone from beginners to experts. Card games take place on other weekdays, and all these events also feature coffee, tea, conversation, and a lot of fun.
On Saturday there is bingo, which is open to anyone in the community aged 19 and older. The group also hosts a Strawberry Tea in the spring (coming up this year on June 15), a Fall Bazaar in November, and an Over-80s birthday celebration each year. For more information contact Bev at (250) 453-2721.
The Ashcroft HUB (711 Hill Street) has a popular by-donation Community Coffee session every Monday starting at 1 p.m. Most of the participants are there for coffee and a chat, but the group occasionally hosts special events or activities. On Wednesdays the HUB has Coffee and a Craft at 1 p.m. ($5 is the suggested donation). The sessions are hosted by Deb Tuohey, who leads the group in creating a different easy craft project each week (all materials are supplied).
The HUB also has Chair Yoga sessions at 10:30 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The sessions are geared for those with mobility issues or who find it difficult to get down on the ground; they are also good for people who are new to yoga and want to work their way up to full yoga sessions.
The popular Armchair Travel sessions at the HUB are returning, thanks to a grant from New Horizons for Seniors. Participants are able to “visit” different countries and learn more about them through their cuisine, with the next “trip” coming up to Germany on Thursday, June 6. For more information about activities for seniors at the HUB, email ashcrofthub@gmail.com, visit the Ashcroft Hub Facebook page, or go to the website at www.ashcrofthub.ca.
The Spences Bridge Community Club has been very successful in obtaining funding from New Horizons for Seniors for a variety of activities, from regular swim sessions in Merritt and popular “thrift store crawls” in Kamloops to craft workshops, ukulele lessons, bingo, lunch days, and more. While most of these activities are open to all, many are geared towards seniors, and are a great way to get together with others and have some fun. For more information on upcoming activities, visit the Spences Bridge Community Club Facebook page or contact Mavourneen at (250) 457-1505 or Eugenie at (250) 319-4217.
The Clinton Seniors’ Association meets at noon on the third Thursday of every month (except July and August) at the Seniors’ Centre at 217 Smith Avenue, with the meeting starting after a lunch of soup, sandwiches, and cake. The group also hosts an occasional special lunch throughout the year, including a Christmas lunch, and holds three fundraisers: a Daffodil Tea in March, a Yard Sale/Book and Bake Sale on July 1 to coincide with the Canada Day festivities, and a Marketplace in November.
Membership in the Clinton Seniors’ Association is only $15 per year. For more information, drop by the centre on Smith Avenue.
Local libraries regularly hold sessions geared towards seniors, from book clubs and craft sessions to one-on-one tech workshops, which allow patrons to sign up for a personalized session with a tech expert at any of the Thompson-Nicola Regional Library’s branches. Fibre Fun sessions are held on Tuesdays at the Cache Creek Library (10 a.m.) and Clinton Library (1:30 p.m.), and on Fridays at the Ashcroft Library (3 p.m.), while there is a Seniors’ Social session at the Cache Creek Library every Saturday at 11 a.m. For more information, visit www.tnrl.ca.
