Kendal pensioners meet each other again on a bus trip to Windermere – for the first time since primary school.
Stagecoach and Age UK organised the event as part of Loneliness Awareness Week (June 9-15 2025)
Two Kendal pensioners were astonished to meet up again for the first time since primary school when they joined a group on a bus day trip to Windermere.
Brenda Parry and Barbara Chorley – both aged 79 – hadn’t seen each other since they were pupils at the old Castle Street School in Kendal 68 years ago.
The chance encounter happened on a Grand Day Out organised by Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire, which treated pensioners to an open-top bus trip to Windermere and afternoon tea at the World of Beatrix Potter.
Barbara and Brenda were among a group of around 20 pensioners who were invited to enjoy the day as part of a collaboration between Stagecoach and Age UK South Cumbria.
It took place during Loneliness Awareness Week, which highlights the isolation some pensioners can experience in later life. Age UK research reveals that nearly one million older people across the UK often feel lonely, with one in ten stating that they visit the supermarket to engage in conversation with staff or other shoppers.
Loneliness Awareness Week is about creating small, meaningful moments and fostering random interactions to help one another and reduce feelings of loneliness in our day-to-day lives.
And that was certainly the case for the pensioners on the 599 Kendal to Windermere bus, where people made new friends as well as chancing upon schoolmates they hadn’t seen for nearly 70 years.
Barbara said she was astonished to bump into Brenda after so long, adding: “I saw this lady smiling at me and I recognised the face, but I couldn’t think who it was. We were at primary school together,r so we haven’t seen each other since we were about 11.”
Brenda said she immediately recognised Barbara despite the decades that had passed since they last spoke.
“I went over and introduced myself, and we had a bit of a reminisce about the school, and we’re going to keep in touch now. We’ve not stopped talking today, and we’ll have to arrange to go out again.”
And she added: “When I lost my husband, I was feeling a bit isolated, so I took up the opportunity to volunteer with Age UK. Loneliness is such a terrible thing, and we should be doing more about it.”
Sally Wroe, 72, said the day had encouraged her to use her bus pass more to explore the Lakes again.
“It was nice to get on the bus knowing that there was somebody there to make sure you’re OK. I’ve had a series of illnesses recently and haven’t been using the bus a lot, but today has been brilliant and has boosted my confidence again.
“We’ve had good company and being on a bus is a very sociable way to get out and about – you always get to sit next to somebody and chat. It’s a grand day out.”
Suzanne Ambrose, Social Engagement Officer with Age UK South Cumbria, said the trip had given pensioners the chance to make new friends.
“It’s been a fabulous day for everybody – they have all thoroughly enjoyed it and have got to meet new people. Some of them have not been out a lot, and it looks like they have made some new friends.
“People do get more isolated with families living further away, and maybe they have been bereaved, so having the chance to chat outside different groups and the opportunity to go out has been wonderful,” she added.
Tom Waterhouse, Managing Director at Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire, said: “It is hugely important for us as a company to support our local community, so it’s lovely to hear such great feedback from those who attended yesterday’s Grand Day Out. We look forward to working with Age UK South Cumbria again and welcoming more of their members to a future Grand Day Out.”
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