{"id":67430,"date":"2022-11-15T17:55:42","date_gmt":"2022-11-15T17:55:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=67430"},"modified":"2022-11-15T17:55:44","modified_gmt":"2022-11-15T17:55:44","slug":"meet-the-retired-women-who-united-their-community-from-deckchairs-in-the-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/11\/15\/meet-the-retired-women-who-united-their-community-from-deckchairs-in-the-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the retired women who united their community from deckchairs in the park"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Victoria Park group went from helping each other beat loneliness in lockdown to helping combat food hunger<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

FOUR retired women who kept their spirits up during lockdown by meeting up in Victoria Park have become mainstays in the community with their fundraising events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They first met through the Elderfit group at St Luke\u2019s Church in Canton and are now known as the Four Fabulous Fit Females or the FFFF for short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group has since raised almost \u00a31,300 for different charities and collected over 600 kilograms of food and household items for Cardiff Food Bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elderfit put on exercise sessions for older people and is part of the council’s Keep Cardiff Moving campaign. Sessions are usually reserved for people over 60 and can be prescribed by GPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FFFF, which has now expanded to 10 members, keep in touch via WhatsApp and weekly coffee meetings. They include a retired teacher, nurse, a military wife and a minister\u2019s wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As many are widows or live alone, their friendship was vital in overcoming bereavement and loneliness during the Covid lockdowns in 2020-21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the rules allowed groups of six from different households to meet socially distanced in outdoor spaces, the FFFF decided to get together regularly in Victoria Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe would go with deckchairs, blankets, hot water bottles and flasks of coffee to sit in the park and discuss all kinds of things,\u201d said member Mari Gruffydd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As these discussions developed, they decided to hold various events, including a Macmillan coffee morning, and contribute to the Shoebox Christmas Appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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