'Grumpy' breakfast club helps Cornish men feel less isolated in illness and grief

Nigel told ITV News' Charlotte Gay the club had helped people reconnect with old friends.

A breakfast club for "grumpy" old men in Cornwall to help them cope with bereavement, illness and loneliness has seen a massive leap in membership.The (Mostly) Grumpy Old Men's Breakfast Club started with three people and now has over 180 regular faces coming to their monthly meet-ups in Redruth.

It was founded by Nigel Jeffery in 2021 after his wife died Bev died from cancer. He says its quite "overwhelming" how popular its become.

"A couple of friends said lets go for breakfast just to spend some time, to help me in my grief to start with.""Anybody who knows me know I like to take photographs to put on Facebook and lots of people saw it and wanted to join."

The rapid increase in numbers meant the group has to move from a diner in town to a much bigger venue at the Penventon Park Hotel.

Nigel says with so many coming along for the Friday breakfasts lots of people have reconnected with old friends and met those they have a lot in common with.

"They come here and talk. On the last breakfast there was eight people sat around the table and they all that prostate cancer and all talked about that. Cos you think you're on your own but you're really not."

The grumpiness is a bit tongue in cheek and while mediator Stephen Wetherelt jokes he's there to keep the grumpiness on track he says there is a big "social need" for this group.

Another regular member, David Horman says while it's nice to have a chat, it's the impact on people's "mental health".

"There are friends here that have lost partners, some of us have been affected by illnesses. It's just nice to chat openly because men don't."

The popularity of this mens group has led to Nigel offering a helping hand to launch a women's spin off - Ladies who Brunch - and now he jokes he needs to franchise the grumpy club across the duchy."A lady from Bude North Cornwall, phoned me and said her brother lost his wife six months ago and wondered if we had anything out there. So yeah I may go to North Cornwall."The breakfast club also fundraises hundreds of pounds each time they meet-up for a local charity and in March they supported the Terry Pryor Trust.

Nigel says anyone who would like to join their club to get in touch with him on Facebook.