We know it’s real when nothing stops them from meeting every week for a pint of beer! Six friends in the UK have been meeting every Thursday for over 56 years to get beer, a ritual they’ve rarely passed up, even in difficult circumstances, and a ritual that started in 1968.
For more than fifty years, Paul Haynes, Bill Munden, Ken King, Peter Thirlwall, Brian Ayres, and Dick Cotton have met every Thursday. Peter, one of the group members, has stated that there have been times when they missed their weekly ritual, but also times when they met for two or three years straight. Imagine the bond, the joy, the enthusiasm!
Their casual outings turned into a routine, where a written note was needed if someone had to miss it, joked group member Ken! Their topics of discussion have transitioned over the years. Conversations that were once highlighted with football and relationships are now centered around health and pensions.
Over the years, the group has changed pubs regularly, alternating between Sheffield and Rotherham to include all members. Even with pub closures and the difficulties brought on by the pandemic, their connection has stayed strong. During Covid, the group held Zoom calls to continue their long-standing traditions, with members joining in from as far away as Australia and Canada.
Like every friendship, they had certain disputes too, and a varied amount of opinions on different points of conversation such as politics, and football. But they did not let these minor disputes get in the way of their lasting friendship and affect the bond they shared for more than half a century.
Their friendship is a lesson for all of us. A difference of opinion, a disagreement, or an argument no matter how small or big, should not be a reason to give up on friendships as we so often find ourselves doing. Fighting through these difficulties and being around and occasionally meeting up for a pint of beer, goes a long way. Maybe, one day, we all can have stories of friendships that lasted half a century!
