RETIRED professional men, missing the mental challenge and social interaction of the work environment can join a monthly discussion group in Wokingham.
Men’s Oasis offers intellectually stimulating sessions where like-minded individuals meet to engage in discussions about current affairs and topics that interest them.
Andy MacNaughton runs the group.
He said: “It’s very much like a work chat in the office corner.
“We talk about what’s relevant to people on the day; we cover politics, religion, theatre, and anything that people want to discuss.
“The group has now been running for a year, and is very much member driven.”
In March, Oasis will be hearing from speaker Chris Merchant, who will talk about Our Changing Climate: Past, Present and Future.
Dr Merchant is Professor of Ocean and Earth Observation at the University of Reading.
He has worked as a climate scientist for more than twenty years, and he and his team are recognised experts at measuring in detail the warming of the world over recent decades, from sensors orbiting the Earth on satellites.
Mr MacNaughton continued: “When they retire men can find it difficult to make connections with people.
“Their friendships have often been mainly work related, and they can find that when they leave, people just don’t want to know.
“At Oasis the two hours just fly by as we cover all sorts of topics.
“Interestingly, many of our members say that they were encouraged to come by their wives, who could see that having retired, they needed something purpose-filled to do.
“Retirees often don’t know where to find the stimulating conversation they enjoyed at the office – it’s here at Oasis.”
All retired men are welcome to join the group, which meets on the fourth Friday of each month at Wokingham Library.
The next meeting is on Friday, March 22, from 10am until noon.
For more information, email: [email protected], or visit: www.wokingham.gov.uk/libraries
