Our lunches allow members like to meet face-to-face, and we choose quiet, safe places where they can meet new friends, and chat to people they know or may already be chatting to in our Members’ Online Clubhouse.
Members using our local Group Chats in the Clubhouse may decide to arrange totally different ways to meet each other and, so long as they are aware that they need to ensure no preditors join in, we are pleased they are enjoying themselves just how they choose.
All the lunches and events we run are in lovely accessible venues and run by experienced volunteers, who will welcome you and introduce you to the others. You are expected to pay for your own drinks and food, but otherwise it is free. We prefer newcomers who have attended a couple or more lunches to actually join our club. Shy people will be encouraged (but not pushed) and visually impaired people offered support. Everyone is introduced around. We expect people who need feeding etc., to bring their own PAs who can then sit nearby tof go off for a walk when not needed.
Anyone with a physical or social impairment can come to our events to see what what an interesting, friendly and welcoming bunch we are. All events are held in quiet, reasonably priced venues with parking and good wheelchair access. We aim to hold them near public transport, but check local taxis are available to suit your needs before setting off. Mostly, we use gastro-pubs which serve a wide range of drinks and food, and have parking outside or nearby.
The London Lunch is held at :-
ALL BAR ONE : Regularly on 127 Finsbury Pavement, London EC2A 1NS wheelchair accessible entrance on the corner of Chiswell Street (except June when we will be holding the Jamboree and August which is a ‘bring your own’ picnic in Russell Square).
It is always held on the second Saturday of each month. 1.30 to 5.30pm. However, the November lunch will be on the third Saturday of the month to avoid the Lord Mayor’s show.
We have a great team running the lunches including Outsiders’ founder, Dr Tuppy Owens. As she can only be there four times a year, it is mostly run by Suebie Lapan, James Salisbury, Jason Paige and Eric.
All Bar One is near Moorgate and Old Street stations, close to Liverpool Street and on several bus routes,
Parking is free in the streets after 1:30 pm on Saturday.
Map from Moorgate station
Map from Old Street Station
Details of bus routes
This is a lovely City pub which is quiet on a Saturday and meets the high standards of food and service that one would expect. It is wheelchair accessible and easy to get around
If you are too shy or nervous of entering a venue where you’ll know nobody, you can email Tuppy@Outsiders.org.uk. August is always a bring-your-own picnic in Russell Square – we meet near the Tea Hut (or inside it if the. rains come down) and there is an accessible loo nearby,
The East Anglia Lunch is just starting up.
The West Country Lunch
Normally held on the third Saturday in the month. Venues vary and sometimes we plan them to be close to where someone lives who has just joined (e.g. Bristol, Exeter, Taunton or Plymouth).
We sometimes combine lunches in Bristol with bowling or the do other things, like go to the zoo..
This group of people who are very fond of one another and welcoming to newcomers have, for the past years met up in a huge range of different venues – from pubs to museums, boat festivals, horse riding events to seaside fish & chip restaurants. All this has been inspired by Sarah Batten who met her partner at one of the lunches.
Currently, lunches are run by an Outsiders’ Trustee, Els Payne who lives in Somerset. She works very hard to ensure lunches are enjoyable for all.
Midlands Social Group Lunch These are run by different people and are held in different parts of the Midlands, to make it easy for members, and perhaps one day settling for their favourite place.
The North East of England Lunch is held on the last Saturday of the month run by Lilian McCarthy in Sheffield and Aureliah in Leeds
The Sheffield lunch is at the Hillsborough Hotel 56 Langsett Rd, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S6 2UB. 2.15 to 5.pm.
Anybody who would like to attend is most welcome. If anyone requires meeting at the Railway/bus Station or outside the venue they can contact Lilian either by email or on her mobile which is 07423051835. People are welcome to bring friends/family/pa with them in order to facilitate them attending if this would make them feel more comfortable.
Lunches in Leeds are held in the Picture House in Leeds centre starting at 1.30. When these take place the Sheffield lunch is cancelled.
The NorthWest of England Lunch is run as often as possible in different venues .
There are also linches starting in Cambridge, Edinburgh, and I hope out American members will start lunches near them. I have guideliines for running a lunch.
The 2020 Jamboree will hopfully be on a Saturday much later in the year in the Blitz Club in Walthamstow.
Jamborees are the Outsiders annual event to attract new members and for everybody to have fun. We have a Tactile Fashion Show with members including those who are blind, enjoying the sensation of touching the model’s outfits which are all lovely or funny to feel – silk, velvet, rope or bubblewrap. Members and volunteers model the clothing. We also have life modellng with guests being provided with pens, paints, wool, sequins, sparkle and other exotic materials, with blind members using little squares of wood, etc. Our discussions at the end of the afternoon are designed to help the guests move forward with dating, relationships. and body confidence.
Entrance is free and anybody can come along.
‘This matinée mini-ball is one of those events, with fun activities to get everyone mingling. ‘ Time Out
Outsiders Jamboree Photos
New people are joining all the time and we are getting to know them and discussing more lunches.
Outsiders Anniversaries We celebrated the 10th, 20th, 25th and 30th Anniversaries of Outsiders.
The 10th Anniversary was held in 1989 in the London Lighthouse, and Chad Varah, founder of the Samaritans addressed us before the celebrations.
The Outsiders 20th Anniversary in 1999 was celebrated with a Sensuality Day in the Area of the Senses at Kew Gardens. We entertained ourselves with delicious morsels to eat, a Tactile Fashion Show, belly dancing and massage in the sunshine. This remarkable experimental art event was televised by SexTV Toronto, one of the best TV programmes made about us at that time. The documentary was repeated on Bravo TV in the summer of 2002. A man silently watched the entire proceedings and then came over and gave us a tenner.
The 25th and 30th Anniversaries took place in the sumptuous surroundings of Landmark Hotel, Marylebone. Both were glorious affairs, with a Tactile Fashion Show, speeches, dancing and delicious teas.
The 35th Anniversary was a small event in Paternoster, St Pauls.
The 40th was in London Zoo.