When was the last time you saw 180 older people cutting loose on the dance floor?

For me, it was at my first Posh Club in June.

Rachel Dawson, Common Wealth’s new Communications Associate, reflects on her first experience of The Posh Club in Cardiff.

Posh Club is a glamorous performance and social club for older people. It was invented in Crawley by Simon Casson and his sister, to support and entertain their mum, who was feeling lonely. Simon has been part of Duckie, both a queer club night and community arts organisation, since 1995. Simon used his knowledge of exciting cabaret performers to book acts for the first Posh Clubs – and a movement was born! There is now a small network of Posh Clubs, including in Cardiff. The Cardiffian iteration of The Posh Club is hosted by us, Common Wealth and staged in the St Mellons Hyb. There’s a capacity of 180 and tickets are highly sought after. 

When I went to the Posh Club I saw Emilie Parry-Williams, an exquisite classically trained soprano; close-up magician Adam James Reeves; local singer and poet Bianca Ali; and Kitsch ‘n’ Sync, a comic dance-duo. The glue holding the Posh Club together is powerhouse performer Shirley Classy (Li Harding) playing homage to Wales’ most beloved legend. Cardiff’s Posh Club has welcomed a range of acts, from burlesque to poetry to belly-dancing. Contemporary dance, Motown bangers and a 10 piece big-band rock out is still to come in 2024. 

Before I started at Common Wealth, I worked in engagement at Age Cymru. I love that Posh Club embraces the fact that older people are a diverse cohort who are excited by a range of artistic disciplines and want to experience new things. The Older People’s Commissioner For Wales estimates that people over 60 will make up 30% of the population in Wales by 2026, and yet frequently older people are portrayed as a monolith who are siloed from the rest of the community. I used to work with a volunteer who took part in the Greenham Common Peace Camp and regularly bemoaned that her generation, the ones who grew up with rock-and-roll and the sexual revolution, are often patronised and culturally excluded. Common Wealth knows that our community deserves the best of the best, and programmes Posh Club accordingly! 

The most recent National Survey for Wales found that almost three quarters of people over 65 felt lonely “sometimes”, and 10% of older people felt “consistently” lonely. Loneliness can have a devastating impact on both physical and mental health, and can increase the risk of an early death by up to 26%. We also know that deprivation can also have a profound impact on physical and mental health and that, cruelly, people in the most deprived communities are at higher risk of being lonely. Research by Cardiff Council found that 38% of households in Cardiff East are living in poverty – the highest proportion in Cardiff. 

Common Wealth wants to look after our community here in East Cardiff, and we believe that Posh Club can make a significant difference to older people experiencing loneliness and isolation.

One of our attendees said that, “Linda made a male friend when she came, he was sat on her table, she took him to the widow’s club with her to meet new people. He said in those two days he had more conversations with people than he had had in the last two years since his wife had died.” 

We have also recently recruited a Community Coordinator who is from St Mellons. Emma knows the area like the back of her hand and has been eager to get out and about and talk about Posh Club, and identify people who might benefit from attending. We know there can be barriers that get in the way of enjoying events like Posh Club, but Emma is here to support people to overcome those barriers.

The best bit about Posh Club was simply watching our guests enjoy themselves. Between acts we had a playlist of classic feel-good tunes and it was brilliant to see people get up and dance on the dance floor, friendship groups mixing and merging as people relaxed. 

Posh Club couldn’t work without volunteers. We try to offer high-class customer service and we love spoiling and showing appreciation for our community elders, and it is our team of volunteers that helps us achieve this. Our volunteers take part in the iconic ‘cake dance’, meeting guests and escorting them to their tables, and serving our delicious afternoon tea. At our Summer Posh Club we welcomed volunteers from different walks of life: local young people, staff from a bar, staff from a large corporate organisation, and individuals who saw our call out and were interested! 

The Well-being of Future Generations Act in Wales aims to create a Wales that we all want to live in, now and in the future. It’s not just an Act to safeguard the futures of young people, but to look after us all as we age. The Future Generations Commissioner promotes intergenerational volunteering as a way of creating cohesive communities, a more equal Wales, and a globally responsible Wales. 

Intergenerational volunteering can have profound and positive impacts on both parties. The same ‘Well-being of Wales’ report that identified loneliness amongst older people also identified particularly high levels of loneliness amongst people aged 16-24. Offering opportunities to build confidence and connection with elders can help alleviate loneliness for younger people. 

In June I spoke to our younger volunteers and asked them what they’d enjoyed about their volunteering. One said that they’d enjoyed “collecting coats and complimenting people. I’ve been saying they look gorgeous! I’ve been saying all the truths: Beautiful, stunning, outstanding! It made me feel great because they smiled. It made them feel better so I feel better!” 

Our next Posh Club is on 12th September and we’ll be welcoming The Bowtie Boys, Azara & Rachel Helena Walsh. Booking will open on 12th August at 10am – keep an eye on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more details. 

If you can’t wait until then, or if you want to find out more about what it’s all about, come to our Posh Club Boutique at the St Mellons Hwb on 8th August.  Our Boutique is a smaller social drop-in with refreshments, entertainment, and a free swap shop. There’s no need to book for the Boutique, just pop in!

If you’d like to join our volunteering team please give Chantal, our Community Producer, an email on [email protected].

Photo by our awesome volunteer, Mason Rose.