A note from Andrea
Hello everyone, and welcome to the September newsletter. I’m Andrea, founder of my widowed friends, and I send these updates each month to share what’s happening across our growing community.
Our groups are built around something very simple: rebuilding a social life by having a cuppa with friends. It’s easy, informal, and something to look forward to each week.
This month I want to give a special welcome to everyone in Surrey who’s recently joined our Interest Register — it’s wonderful to have you here. And to our long-standing Cornwall members: you were here first, and the Surrey groups wouldn’t be starting without the lessons we’ve learned from you, thank you.
This issue has a bit of something for everyone.
Surrey — Lots to Report!
The response to the Surrey Interest Register has been fantastic. Sign-ups have been coming in from right across the county, and it’s giving us really valuable data about exactly where local demand is strongest.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be using this information to finalise where our Surrey groups will be. Nothing is fixed yet, so if you haven’t signed up but would like a group near to you, please do join the Interest Register on the website. Every sign-up genuinely helps us decide where to start groups.
The first groups will be starting in November, where demand is strongest. Others will follow as interest builds in their area, so if your nearest group doesn’t open straight away, it doesn’t mean it won’t happen, just that we’re waiting for enough local demand to make it viable.
Everyone on the Interest Register will hear the details for their local group as soon as they’re confirmed. Thank you for your patience while we get this right — a good start matters more than a fast one.
Cornwall — Our Foundation
While Surrey is grabbing a lot of attention this month, I don’t want our Cornwall members to feel forgotten, in fact quite the opposite. Everything happening in Surrey exists because of what we built and learned together in Cornwall first. You are the pioneers.
Cornwall’s groups continue to meet every week, rain or shine, and they remain the heart of mwf. As we grow, the small things — like replying Y or N to your weekly reminder text — matter more than ever. It’s what keeps every group, in every county, reliable for the people who count on it. Thank you, as ever, for being part of that.
Looking Further Ahead
Devon groups are planned for late 2027. We will give more details nearer the time.
Cornwall Christmas Lunch
The Cornwall Christmas Lunch details will be emailed to all members at the end of September. Save the date even though it’s a long way ahead!
1pm on 17th December at The Masons Arms in Bodmin. Bookings will open on 15th October.
What Happens at an mwf Meeting?
If you haven’t been along to a group yet, here’s what to expect. Each mwf group meets at the same café, pub, or hotel, at the same time, every week. You’ll spot other members by their green mwf badge. That’s the signal that someone understands exactly what you’re going through, without a word being said. The badge doesn’t identify you as widowed, just as part of our coffee group.
There’s no organiser standing at the front, no agenda, and nothing you have to do. You simply turn up, order a drink, and chat. Some weeks the conversation is deep, other weeks it’s about nothing more than the weather and what’s on telly. If it’s your first visit, we let the rest of the group know on the morning of the meeting, so they will be expecting you.
Meetings usually run for about an hour or so. Some members like to stay on for lunch afterwards — that’s entirely up to you. Some groups also organise other events or outings, again that is up to you. mwf organises the weekly meetings and the introduction; what you make of it from there is yours.
Why We Charge a Subscription
It’s a fair question, and one I’m always happy to answer directly. mwf charges an annual membership fee to cover the costs of running the organisation: advertising so that widowed people can actually find us, badges, postage and printing, and the website and systems that keep everything running reliably. It’s what keeps the whole organisation sustainable, so it will still be here for you next year, and the year after.
A subscription is also a form of commitment. It means the people at your table each week have chosen to be there in the same way you have, and that shared commitment is part of what makes the groups work. If you join, try a couple of meetings in your first month and find that mwf isn’t for you, we offer a full refund — no hard feelings. We understand that the format doesn’t work for everyone.
The current fee is £26 per year, with no hidden costs apart from whatever drink you fancy ordering each week. Personally, I think it’s quite reasonable (the equivalent of 50p per week).
A Regular Routine
One thing we hear again and again from members is how much it helps simply to have something fixed in the diary each week. Losing a partner often means losing the routines you built together, and rebuilding a new rhythm (even something as small as a weekly coffee) can make an ordinary week feel a little more like your own again.
mwf isn’t a support group, and we don’t offer counselling or therapy — we’re not qualified to, and it simply isn’t what we’re here for. What we do offer is much simpler: a regular catch-up with people who understand your situation, in an ordinary café, over an ordinary cup of coffee.
Sometimes the simplest things make the biggest difference.
How do I join/ get more details/ get on the mailing list?
If you’re in Cornwall, then your groups are open. Go to Join a coffee group in Cornwall – my widowed friends choose your group and join using the joining form. If there isn’t a group close enough to you then let us know by joining the Interest Register.
If you’re in Surrey, then your groups aren’t open yet. You can join the Interest register at Coffee groups for widowed people in Surrey – my widowed friends Then we will contact you as soon as we open a group near you.
If you need any more information, then have a read through the website. If this doesn’t answer your questions, then email our AI helper Molly at molly@mywidowedfriends.co.uk or use the Contact form on the website.
Molly can normally answer quickly. If she doesn’t know then she will send your query on to a human and we will get back to you (this takes a bit longer!).
You can also stay in touch by following our Facebook group
Find us on Facebook: my widowed friends
And finally
If you are thinking this might be the group for you, but you aren’t sure…. why not give it a try…. it could make a real difference to meet people who understand and have a good chat.
Andrea