Warwick man creates club to help support fellow widowers

A Warwick man has set up a club to help support widowers after finding a lack of provision in the area.

Tony Thomas’ wife Maureen died suddenly aged 70 in November 2021.

After attending bereavement groups, Tony tried searching for dedicated groups for widowers and when he couldn’t find anything he decided to create the ‘Widowers Club’.

The 70-year-old said: “My wife died suddenly and my life fell apart on that morning.

“So I’ve tried to put my life back together. I went to bereavement counselling – online and in person – and they didn’t help to take the pain away.

"The bereavement groups had a lot of widows but only a couple of men and they didn’t say an awful lot.

“I then met a Warwick councillor for the Aylesford ward, because he lived on the same estate as me when his wife died and we had a chat about widowers and my concept about starting a widowers club.

"He agreed that the councils were missing a trick and there are not many opportunities for widowers to meet. This lead to the start of the club.

“We have seven members and we meet every four weeks for Sunday dinner. We also meet individually during the week.”

Members of Tony’s Widowers all come from or near Warwick, such as Kenilworth and Knowle.

Tony said the group has helped him bring a purpose to his life. He said: “We are all in the same boat and all feel helpless.

“When you lose a partner it takes a lot of confidence off you. You have to make decisions on your own and you have no one to discuss it with.”

Tony is also looking to spread the word about his club but says he wont be able to take on a flood of new members.

“Our members have to go to different areas for their lunch so they need to be able to drive. They need to have internet for the WhatsApp group and a mobile phone.

Tony said he did a lot of research before starting the group and believes it may be one of the only groups of its type in the UK.

To contact Tony about the Widowers Club email: [email protected]