The Beatles must never have met Fay Stacy, or they’d know all the lonely people belong to the Moss Vale Uniting Church Friendship Club.

Mrs Stacy, of Moss Vale, was a founding member of the Friendship Club, and its craft club companion, “quite a number of years ago”.

“I started it because we seemed to have a lot of widows, people who were shut in but liked company,” Mrs Stacy said.

For years the Friendship Club has met at the church hall on Spring and Argyle streets between 10am and noon on the second Wednesday monthly.

“It’s open to anybody, young or old,” Mrs Stacy said. “Sometimes we might have a bit of a sing-song with the keyboard. It’s warm and they can come and go as they please.

“We just have a cup of tea and a biscuit, not fancy, and different activities. We might not have much, but they’re quite happy just to come and talk. The focus is on friendship.”

Mrs Stacy said the key to being a good friend was the ability to listen and be open-minded to another person’s point of view.

“It’s just being there, that’s what I’ve found,” she said. “It’s surprising what you can learn over a cup of tea.”

The craft group doesn’t have any specific pursuit, though projects can be arranged, and its members often “just come for the talk, too”.

“I think people just want get themselves out of the house,” Mrs Stacy said. “I mean, I know I do, more than ever now.”

The craft group also meets at the church hall on the first and third Monday monthly, except public holidays, from 10am to noon.

The International Day of Friendship is on July 30, annually.

It was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals could inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.

To enquire about the Friendship Club or craft group, call 4868 1807.