A SOCIAL group which "flourished" from a meagre donation of just £10 is celebrating half a centenary of saving older residents from isolation.

Horspath Parish Senior Residents' Club will this year mark 50 years of dinners and day trips, which it has provided for elderly villagers since it began in 1966.

Leonora Richardson, who lives in Horspath with her husband, has chaired the group for four years and said she was "proud" of its achievements.

She said: "We go on various outings like to Christmas markets and to the seaside, and mystery trips which they like. We don't do as many things at the moment as people are getting older and might not want to travel that much, but we still have quizzes and people come to display things like cards or Edinburgh Woollen Mill clothes.

"During the year we have had various talks - we had an ex royal footman and medical detection dogs. We are quite active, as much as people want to be and can be."

The club grew after 12 women started it with a £10 donation from an extinct charity called Oxford Association for the Care of Old People.

Today that sum would still only equate to about £183, but the club has managed to keep going by tempting its 60 members with a packed events schedule.

Retired superintendent registrar Mrs Richardson, 78, added: "We run on our own funds to raise the money - people pay an annual subscription and a bit more when they go on outings. We are proud that we've kept going."

Village resident Sheila Dandridge was one of the founders of the club, who still attends as a member.

The 84-year-old, who lives alone after losing her husband, said: "I was a young lady back then, I must have been about 40. I was asked if I would like to help with the organising of the club and we were pleased to see it flourish through the years. We send a birthday card and Christmas card to every member.

"I suppose the main aim of the club is to keep people in touch. I have had people say over the Christmas period when we don't meet that we are missed. I got to know an awful lot of people in the village through the club.

"We are very proud that it's managed to stay for so long. We were very hopeful when we started."

She said they are always welcoming new members over the age of 55, who can find out more by visiting horspath.org.uk.

The group meets every first and third Wednesday of the month at Horspath Village Hall, and non-members can pay extra to join the day trips.

Upcoming events include a trip to Banbury, a talk about smugglers and a cream tea party.