Port Rowan Seniors Social Club now open

By Care Lucas

On February 3, the Port Rowan Community Centre opened its doors to the Port Rowan Seniors Social Club for the first time.

The club, which Norfolk County’s recreation department supports, will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays. Its membership is open to anyone in the community over 50 years of age with participation based on a donation.

Bernadette Gallagher, the club’s organizer, said her father inspired the initiative. “I looked at my dad and some of his social connections were dwindling [after] the coffee shop closed,” she said, referring to Uncle’s Country Coffee, which closed its doors last year. “[It] was the place where people would congregate, check-in [and] say hi.”

She said Port Rowan has a high population of seniors but the community lacked opportunities for social connection. Uncle’s Country Coffee provided a space for seniors to gather, especially on Mondays.

Gallagher spent more than 30 years working with groups and individuals in her career in social work and community development before retiring. She said her father’s experience highlighted a need in the area. “I could just see that it’s a bit of a hit and a miss in terms of how people connect,” she said.

This need prompted Gallagher to reach out to Councillor Tom Masschaele for assistance.

She shared her vision to start a seniors social club and said Coun. Masschaele was supportive of the idea. He connected Gallagher with Nikki Slote and Katelyn Bowen at Norfolk County’s recreation department. Together they submitted a proposal to host the program at the Port Rowan Community Centre, with Gallagher volunteering her time to support it.

More than 20 seniors attended the club’s first day. Gallagher organized several activities, including cornhole and axe throwing, while many attendees played cards or sat and shared a coffee or tea and treats with their friends. The club has been gaining popularity since.

Gallagher has since received requests from groups of seniors hoping to use the space for their existing social activities, such as craft groups and knitting circles.

“Come tell me what you need and I’ll reconfigure the room for what you need. I think once the word gets out there, people are happy to come together,” she said.

The club offers a local option for those who are less mobile, especially during the winter months. With the bad weather, many have said they are less inclined to drive to activities outside of Port Rowan and have avoided driving at night. The daytime schedule makes the club accessible to those who have been feeling isolated this winter.

Gallagher has big plans for the Seniors Social Club in the future. A few attendees have requested a coffee shop jam session where members can bring an acoustic instrument for an open-mic cafe. She also hopes to co-ordinate bus trips for seniors with the Delhi Friendship Centre.

It’s not just about the social connection. Gallagher hopes to offer community resources, from services like the community paramedic program, at the club as well.

In addition to the support from Coun. Masschaele and Norfolk County, Gallagher said it has brought her great joy to see local businesses in the community supporting the cause. She’s seen lots of posters for the Seniors Social Club on billboards around town and feels it’s helping to get the word out.

When describing the connections made at the club, Gallagher said she’s seen old friends reunite and new friendships flourish. “The gratification comes when I can hear the laughter, the friendship and the joy in the room,” she said. She’s seen the club’s members trying new activities with people they have never met before—laughing and enjoying themselves.

“I’m happy to see that they’re coming and finding friendship and fellowship in the group.”

Originally printed in The Good News, March 2025.