Meet the Denmead family who hold a cuppa club every morning to keep in touch

Club members, back row, from left, John Burton, 62, Pat Mathews, 81, and Denise Burton, 58. Front, from left, Michelle Smith, 46, Victoria Steel-Page, 41, with her sons Fletcher, one, Henry, five, and her sister Tracy Ramsey, 38
Picture: Sarah Standing (161042-7274) — Club members, back row, from left, John Burton, 62, Pat Mathews, 81, and Denise Burton, 58. Front, from left, Michelle Smith, 46, Victoria Steel-Page, 41, with her sons Fletcher, one, Henry, five, and her sister Tracy Ramsey, 38 Picture: Sarah Standing (161042-7274)

But in this busy world, it’s easy to miss a brief catch-up with loved ones.

A close-knit family from Denmead has ensured they always keep in touch, though, after setting up their own morning club, in which six female relatives meet every day for a cuppa and a chat.

The principles of the club are simple – every Monday to Friday the ladies gather, with the group meeting up at a different member’s house depending on the day of the week.

The members are Victoria Steel-Page, her mum Denise, aunt Michelle,  sister Tracy, great-aunt Molly and Nana Pat.

The ladies have their own special morning club mugs which they bring along for their brew.

Although a ladies’ affair, occasionally Victoria’s step-dad John and Uncle Alan join in on the family fun.

Victoria, 41, who lives in Bere Road, Denmead, said the family set up the morning club years ago.

The mum of three said: ‘We are a very close family and even my Nana Pat and Auntie Molly both have houses on the same road as me.

‘We’ve always been really tight-knit. I remember when I first brought my husband to a family event and he said to me “there are about five conversations going on at once and you are following all of them”.

‘So one day we just decided that we need to make sure we see each other more so we set up the morning club. And now we see someone every day.’

Discussions at the morning club vary, with the ladies chattering about family, work and, occasionally, politics.

Victoria, a quality advisor, said: ‘It’s general chit-chat really, we just come along to make sure everyone and everything is okay.

‘There’s time to talk about general things and what’s currently happening in the world.

‘We even had a discussion on Brexit last month.’

Matriarch Nana Pat, 81, is the oldest member to attend and has three children and eight grandchildren.

Pat, who retired last year, said: ‘I love our family club as it means I get to see my family every morning which I really enjoy.

‘We’ve always been a really close family and we can talk about anything and everything really.’

Keen to keep the club running in the family, Victoria’s 20-year-old daughter also has been known to pop along.

Victoria said: ‘I can’t see it stopping anytime in the future.’