The Ascot District Day Centre has been a home from home for the elderly of Sunninghill, Ascot and Sunningdale for more than thirty years keeping elderly residents in the neighbourhood alert and active, by providing an opportunity to meet friends and to socialise, in a structured and safe environment.

A team of volunteer drivers transport members by minibus to and from the Centre.  Coffee is served on arrival and a hot two course meal at lunchtime with tea and biscuits in the afternoon.  Each weekday morning the Day Centre is a hive of activity with members playing darts or indoor bowls while others join in Tai-Chi or Chair Based dance classes, or quietly socialise in the conservatory with friends.  After lunch there are usually a few rounds of bingo, a quiz or a raffle, while others prefer a game of cards.

Saturdays are ‘Day Care Plus’  - quieter days, with qualified nursing care available for those requiring extra medical attention, thereby offering carers the opportunity to have a day to themselves. Special dietary needs can be catered for.

Services provided at the Day Centre include hairdressing, chiropody and beauty treatments.  There is also a fully equipped bathroom with hoist for members to have an assisted bath; this service is also available to anyone in the local community.  Talking newspapers and local newspapers are available and prescriptions can be collected from the local pharmacy. 

Day trips by coach and weekend breaks by the sea are popular with members as are concerts given by visiting groups.  Parties organised by the Day Centre with fancy dress hats to celebrate Christmas, Hallowe’en, Easter and birthdays and much appreciated.

The manager, Mrs Jackie Mann, and the assistant manager, Mrs Maggie Cavanagh, with an army of volunteers are always happy to welcome anyone who would like to come to visit for a day.  Telephone: 01344 624923 Website: http://www.rotaryascot.org/daycentre/

The Ascot Probus Club meets on the fourth Monday of each month at Englemere in Kings Ride, for lunch and to hear the guest speaker. Probus is an organisation for retired business and professional men (or those approaching retirement) to meet on a regular basis and socialise.  For further details and inquiries about membership contact the Honorary Secretary on 01344 620060.

The Ascot Volunteer Bureau, which matches volunteer drivers with people who need lifts to appointments, can be contacted on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursday and Fridays, 10 am - 12noon. Local trips cost £3, longer trips have a 40p per mile mileage rate. Visit www.ascotvolunteerbureau.org.uk  Call 01344 625520.

Sunningdale Bowling Club welcomes new members. Tuition is given if required. For more information call in at the Club on Whitmore Lane Sunningdale or contact Brian Munden on 01344 621207.

 The Friendship Circle ( formerly Alive and Kicking i)s the group for active, retired people which meets at the Coronation Memorial Institute, Church Road, Sunningdale, on the last Thursday of the month, at 2pm Call the CMI on 01344 297250.

     Anyone aged 50 and over can enjoy Gentle Tap and a Cuppa, with Kim, at the British Legion Hall, Hatchet Lane, on Mondays from 2.15 -3.15pm (except the first Monday of the month).  Each session costs £4.20, including tea and biscuits. Call Kim on 07768 635 609.

The Warfield Ladies Probus Club, for retired and professional business- women from Warfield and surrounding area, enjoys lunches, on the second Monday of the month, at Mill Ride Golf Club in North Ascot, as well as speakers, theatre outings and special events, such as the recent sell-out Flanders and Swan-style. ‘Two Blokes and a Piano’ at Carnation Hall.  New members are very welcome.  The group Contact: Barbara on 01344 459624.

Rendezvous at the CMI ( Church Road, SUnningdale) is the hub of the local community offering great refreshments (teas, coffees, locally-made cakes and light lunches) after one of the many classes and courses which are held at the CMI. There are also occasional stalls offering goods such as pickles and preserves, Love Linzee Jewellery, books Cancer Research, RNLI and a Free-Cycle Board ( an opportunity to find a new home for your unwanted goods or to find that elusive item for yourself!. Opening hours are Monday to Thursday 9am - 4p.30pm and Fridays 9am - 1pm. For more details, call Amelia, Anne or Sandra on 01344 297250. 

Saturday Day Care Plus,  offers professional care, a day out, a home cooked lunch, company and a break for carers, at the Chandler Day Centre in Sunninghill's Bagshot Road, near Ascot. Volunteer drivers collect and take members home by minibus. More volunteer drivers are often neededand no special licence is needed. After age 70, a medical is needed but this will be paid for. The Centre aims to maintain a team of eight, so the time commitment is only once in two months. If you can help maintain this vital service, call the Day Centre on 01344 624923. Day Centre Website: http://www.rotaryascot.org/daycentre/

 There will be a Tai Chi/Qigong class at the South Ascot Church Hall, Church Road, SL5 9DP, on Tuesdays, 10.30 -11.30am, with Alison Allison, who has six years' teaching experience and is also a trained nurse, craniosacral therapist and is studying acupuncture. The class costs £6 (£3 concession for senior citizens, students and people on a low income) For more information  call 01344 893339 or visit www.uktqf.co.uk

 There is a Sequence Tea Dance, on Thursdays, 2-4pm, at Carnation Hall, Chavey Down Road. A little bit of dancing experience is useful though not essential. Entry costs £2 including tea at the break. For more information call Peter on 01344 893552 or Jan on 01344 426910.

 The Heart Rehabilitation Organisation of Berkshire (THROB) holds Cardiac Exercise Classes for those recovering from heart problems or similar medical conditions,  at Carnation Hall, Chavey Down Road, on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Friday mornings.  For details, contact Kevin Johnson  on 07876 586445 or 07870267979.   Visit www.throbrehab.org.uk

The Heart Rehabilitation Organisation of Berkshire (THROB) runs an exercise classes on Mondays, 6.30 -7.30pm, Tuesdays, 5.30 - 6.30pm, Thursdays, 5 - 6pm and 6.10 - 7.10pm, Fridays, 8 - 9pm and 9.30 - 10.30am and Saturdays, 8 - 9am,  at Carnation Hall, Chavey Down Road, Winkfield, near Ascot.  For information on exercise classes call Kevin Johnson on 0787 658 6445 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it THROB is an organisation which promotes initiatives that assist with cardiac rehabilitation , raises funds for rehabilitation equipment to help victims of coronary heart disease, organises social activities for members, families and friends ( to enjoy and to promote healthy lifestyles, provides euipment for exercise classes and pays for the training of exercise instructors.

For more information visit www.throbrehab.org.uk   or call Wendy on 01344 890716 or Lynn on 01344 886546.

  The weekly tea dance, at King Edward’s Hall on Mondays from 2-4pm,  is highly successful, with over 40 regular dancers. The afternoons feature a mixture of sequence, ballroom and a little line dancing, and afternoon tea, all for £1. All welcome.