Harthill Tea Day Social Club Community Transport

Harthill Tea Day Social Club is a long-established, volunteer-led charity that has been serving the community of Harthill and the surrounding areas in South Rotherham since 1951. The club provides a welcoming and supportive environment for people aged 55 and over, offering regular opportunities for social interaction, friendship, and companionship.

The social club aims to prevent social isolation for older people in Harthill, Kiveton and other villages within Rother Valley South by meeting bi-weekly to provide tea and social entertainment and organising ‘away day’ trips and events.

Members also have access to a volunteer Community Connector from Age UK Rotherham, who attends the club to provide regular support with Blue Badge and passport applications and renewals and referrals for Council, NHS and other services.

A group of older women stood by a community transport bus

 

Harthill Tea Day Social Club was awarded a £3,560 grant from the Loscar Wind Farm Community Fund, which is managed by South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation.

The Loscar Wind Farm Community Fund provides small grants to support environmental sustainability projects and community initiatives. Established by wind farm operator Renewable Energy Systems (RES), the fund is designed to benefit communities located near the Loscar Wind Farm site in Harthill, Rotherham.

For the Harthill Tea Day Social Club, this grant funded its Community Transport Service, which covers both Harthill and Kiveton, for 12 months, enabling the club to provide free transport to everyone who needed it, making the club fully accessible regardless of a person’s financial situation, health or mobility.

The Harthill Tea Day Social Club has been at the heart of local life for over 70 years and provides a vital lifeline for their members, many of whom live alone, helping them to combat loneliness and improve their wellbeing and mental health by bringing the community together.

This has been particularly important for club members in the last five years due to extra pressures on statutory services and the impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns.

Marlene Lockwood, Trustee and Chair of Harthill Tea Day Social Club, said:

Without the support of South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation, we would have struggled to provide the free Community Transport service that makes our Tea Day meetings accessible and welcoming to all older people in our community.

The continued funding of our Community Transport Service is vital to our members and to the continued sustainability of our club.

 

Due to the funding, the social club’s future was secured for another year, and the club is looking forward to celebrating their 75th birthday in 2026.