A Journey From Teacher to Chair of the CSRF Local Activity Group
As well as running befriending services, the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship (CSRF) brings retired civil servants together through local activity groups across the UK. To learn more about the importance of these get-togethers this Civil Service Charities & Partners Week, we talked to Jane.
What brought you to the civil service?
I grew up in a household of civil servants. My dad was in the Ministry of Defence during war times and my mother did the exams in later life. But still, it was a surprise that I ended up a civil servant myself.
I was in Africa with the church and didn’t come back to the UK until I was in my late 50s. So I was actually only with the civil service for about three and a half years. I’m a retired teacher, I was a teacher longer than I was a civil servant. But it’s wonderful that whether you’ve been a civil servant for three weeks or 30 years, you’re always a part of the fellowship.
I retired 16 years ago. I remember it well, because it was my 60th birthday.
How did you find out about the CSRF?
I applied before I retired, and joined the local group a couple of months after I left. I got co-opted onto the committee, and after a number of years became chair of my local activity group.
Who joins your group?
We’ve got a mixture of all ages, from 60s to 90s, and walks of life. The CSRF has moved with the times, so we’re not just an insular group for retired civil servants. We’re open to the community.
What do you get up to?
We’re a small group who meet for coffee mornings and a bit of chit-chat. People can be involved as much or as little as they want. It’s changed over the years, and since lockdown. We organize coach trips when we can, and are looking into visiting Catford theatre soon. We also have guest speakers, but also have our own members tell us about places they’ve travelled to or what they’ve been up to.
We share our own experiences too. Like when the Queen died, we were all talking about our memories of her coronation and any royal meetings.
What do you value most about the CSRF?
The support. I can remember all the years ago, my mother we got a lot of support from the charity as a family. And it was the same when my father died, I had really nice people getting in touch with me. So that’s why for me it brings me a little smile that I ended up a civil servant, and now a chair for the CSRF.
There’s a huge feeling of camaraderie. Everyone’s there to support each other, and the charity supports our little group of friends too.
Why should current civil servants support the CSRF?
I would say supporting the charity is supporting your own future. It’s a national fellowship that we all belong to.
Please donate today to support the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship’s life-changing work.
As well as running befriending services, the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship (CSRF) brings retired civil servants together through local activity groups across the UK. To learn more about the importance of these get-togethers this Civil Service Charities & Partners Week, we talked to Jane.
What brought you to the civil service?
I grew up in a household of civil servants. My dad was in the Ministry of Defence during war times and my mother did the exams in later life. But still, it was a surprise that I ended up a civil servant myself.
I was in Africa with the church and didn’t come back to the UK until I was in my late 50s. So I was actually only with the civil service for about three and a half years. I’m a retired teacher, I was a teacher longer than I was a civil servant. But it’s wonderful that whether you’ve been a civil servant for three weeks or 30 years, you’re always a part of the fellowship.
I retired 16 years ago. I remember it well, because it was my 60th birthday.
How did you find out about the CSRF?
I applied before I retired, and joined the local group a couple of months after I left. I got co-opted onto the committee, and after a number of years became chair of my local activity group.
Who joins your group?
We’ve got a mixture of all ages, from 60s to 90s, and walks of life. The CSRF has moved with the times, so we’re not just an insular group for retired civil servants. We’re open to the community.
What do you get up to?
We’re a small group who meet for coffee mornings and a bit of chit-chat. People can be involved as much or as little as they want. It’s changed over the years, and since lockdown. We organise coach trips when we can, and are looking into visiting Catford theatre soon. We also have guest speakers, but also have our own members tell us about places they’ve travelled to or what they’ve been up to.
We share our own experiences too. Like when the Queen died, we were all talking about our memories of her coronation and any royal meetings.
What do you value most about the CSRF?
The support. I can remember all the years ago, my mother we got a lot of support from the charity as a family. And it was the same when my father died, I had really nice people getting in touch with me. So that’s why for me it brings me a little smile that I ended up a civil servant, and now a chair for the CSRF.
There’s a huge feeling of camaraderie. Everyone’s there to support each other, and the charity supports our little group of friends too.
Why should current civil servants support the CSRF?
I would say supporting the charity is supporting your own future. It’s a national fellowship that we all belong to.
Please donate today to support the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship’s life-changing work.