It was the end of an era on Tuesday last week when members of Whitchurch Ladies Open Group met for the final time after more than 50 years.

There was laughter and reminisences – as well as a special dinner – when the members gathered for a dinner at Karen’s in Brook Street.

Thelma Bishop, just shy of her 90th birthday, is the only member of women’s friendship group who was there right at the beginning and she brought along mementoes of that time, including the minute book of one of the first-ever meetings. Scrapbooks of photographs, brought by secretary Ruth Glanville, were also being passed around.

Thelma said she believed that the first-ever meeting was held in 1973, making the club 50 years old. Founded to provide friendship and banish loneliness among women, in the early days the group sometimes met at Whitchurch House, home of Mrs Beaver, who Thelma remembers well.

A black and white photograph shows a gathering of the members at Christmas 1977, with Mrs Beaver among the group.

As Thelma explained that they met fortnightly. ‘We just have a friendly evening and we have speakers every time and we also go on some lovely trips. It has just been so happy,’ she said. ‘I don’t think we have had a cross word.

‘There was a time when we had a waiting list. We had over 30 members and we couldn’t get anyone else in the hall.’

She explained that the group was now having to fold because its membership was dwindling. ‘We can’t afford the speakers if we haven’t got the subs coming in.

‘I think I have been just about everything, chairman, secretary, I was even treasurer for a while, which I said I would never do, because we couldn’t get anyone else to do it! It is sad that we are having to wind it down.’

While the group has the word ‘Whitchurch’ in the title, its members don’t just come from the wider Tavistock area. All are welcome, and indeed several members had come from as far afield as Belstone and Sticklepath.

Georgina Dale and her friend had made the journey from their villages, both on the other side of Okehampton, for the party.

She said: ‘About 20 years ago I saw an advertisement for a quiz with this group and my friend and I came down for it. We were made so welcome, and they said why don’t you come to our regular meetings, and we have been coming ever since. They are a lovely bunch of people and I shall miss it.’