Over 50 and Bored? Try The Joy Club

Have you found as you head towards your 60s that you’ve got more time on your hands? I’ve spent my adult life working and looking after my children and I feel it’s time to slow down a little and focus on me. I’m still self-employed at 58 and run my own reselling business but one of the reasons I started it 6 years ago was because I wanted more time to spend on myself and my family. I can be flexible and do as much or as little as I want. But having more time to do what you want means actually finding things you want to do! And that’s not always easy. You don’t want to be over 50 and bored so I’d like to share with you, a very interesting club I came across recently … The Joy Club. An online club that’s especially for people who are semi-retired, retired or just getting on in life and find themselves with more time.

What is The Joy Club

In a nutshell The Joy Club is a website that offers online live events, activities, discounts and articles to women and men in the UK who are semi-retired or retired and need inspiration to keep their lives full and fun. There is no specific age requirement but the club is definitely aimed at those over 50. And as the classes and activities take place live between the hours of 9am and 5pm it’s not for those who are in full-time work.

Activities & Events

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the classes and activities are mostly live. This means you need access to the internet via a phone, tablet or desktop computer. There is a good weekly calendar of events that you can view up to four weeks ahead so you have plenty time to book the ones you’re interested in.

The Joy Club have quite a range of classes including Zumba (plus a seated version), Creative Writing, Tai Chi, IT Skills, a non-denominational ‘Forget-me-not’ Service, Face Yoga, Belly Dancing, Crochet and lots more! They also have a Book Club which I’ve signed up for, the book for October being Where the Crawdads Sing. The monthly virtual session for this involves discussing set topics and questions with other members of the group on an online meet-up. Most of the classes are regular weekly/monthly events which is nice as it’s something to look forward to and really get your teeth into.

There was one regular event that grabbed my attention as it seemed really different to anything I’d seen online. This is a weekly online coffee morning session. It lasts an hour and is a great opportunity to get to know fellow members face to face (via the internet of course) … you’ll need a camera and microphone switched on to really enjoy the experience. The Joy Club states there is no exact structure to this virtual meet-up but there will be a team facilitator there to set the tone and make sure everyone is introduced to one another and to provide a topic to keep the conversation flowing. I’m sure this will provide a life-line to many people who are feeling quite lonely as they move into a new phase of their life.

I also noticed a virtual ‘Knit and Natter’ session. On further exploration I discovered that you don’t need to knit to join in. As long as you’re working on some craft project … or interested in starting a craft project, then you are welcome to join in. Just settle yourself, your craft activity and a cuppa in front of your computer, smartphone or ipad and get nattering to some like-minded, friendly people. This certainly sounds like it will stop you being over 50 and bored!

I’ve already signed up to a creative writing class, a cardio class and a face yoga class so I’ll keep you posted on how they go.

Discounted Deals

As well as live activities there is also a section for discounted deals on The Joy Club. At the time of writing there were 16 deals available to me. These included:

• one month of unlimited cookalong classes with Ann’s Smart School of Cookery for £9.75 (instead of £15)
• 20% off some wall art
• 30% off The Story of Sutton Hoo : A virtual tour (I really enjoyed the film ‘The Dig’ on this topic).
• An hour long talk with Vincent Simone exclusively for members of The Joy Club, including a 15 minute Q&A session. For any Strictly fans they’ll know Vincent is a World Champion dancer.

Articles

The Joy Club also have an extensive blog section with posts from guests and members on various topics from health to recipes to guides on where to get the best luxury afternoon teas. There’s also an opportunity to share your creative writing here with The Joy Club Writers’ Showcase where members from their Creative Writing class can upload their work.

Private Facebook Group

As with a lot of things these days there is a private Facebook group where members of The Joy Club can get together when they’re not taking part in events. At the time of writing this there are currently 467 members and the group generates four posts per week.

Membership

There are two levels of membership for The Joy Club. Free membership or Premium membership for £5 per month. The free membership lets you access the member discounts and the Facebook group and their other activities can be accessed for £5 per event. However they do offer you a one month free Premium membership on sign up so you can explore the site and it’s activities before you make your decision. Membership can be cancelled at any time and I think £5 per month is exceptionally good value for money!

I’m really looking forward to the activities I’ve booked with The Joy Club. I think it’s something I’ll use on a regular basis as I really don’t want to be over 50 and bored! If you’d like to sign up for your one month free Premium membership then just click here.

Note: This is an affiliated post but as always the review is my honest and unbiased opinion. If you click on the link to join then I will receive a small commission if you decide to continue with a paid membership.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the activities you take part in. Just let me know in the comments section below.

If you liked this post you might also find my review of the Buckt Subscription Box useful.

Love, Karen 🙂