Don’t be surprised if you overhear a collective, “God Save the Queen!” hurrah in Wilton–it might just be a gathering of the newest club that has formed in town, the Wilton Brit Club. Open to British expatriates living here and in the surrounding towns, the club hopes to create an opportunity for Brits to connect and socialize, and share a little slice of home from across the pond.
“I have always wanted to this start this club since I arrived from England 30 years ago,” says Wilton resident Jayne Peacock. “I love America and it has been very good to us but after many years of being here I felt I wanted to get back to my roots.”
She was motivated to do create the club in February, after seeing the Facebook post of a newly-arrived ex-pat living in town, who was lonely and looking to connect to some fellow countrymen and women. There was overwhelming response from about 20 Brits offering a hand in friendship. Peacock realized there was a large number of local Brits ready and waiting to be connected.
So Peacock touched base with a few other British friends and made a social media post about starting the club. She formed a committee and created a host of events, and in just a few short weeks there has been a notable response rate from other British ex-pats living in Wilton, Ridgefield, Redding and Weston looking to get involved.
“The response has been tremendous. We put up some posters and flyers around town, and in just the past 24 hours there have been 20 couples that have joined,” says Brit Club co-chair Linda Sabh, who has been in the US for 36 years–but that doesn’t stop her from wanting to stay connected.
With a sizable number of Brits who have relocated to the area, it’s not surprising that they want to connect for a little home-away-from home, with others who have their shared origin. “It’s fun to get together with a group who have that core in common, to celebrate those occasions” says Sabh.
The club will be open to anyone hailing from the United Kingdom, at whatever age or stage of life. “All age groups, it’s not just going to be young couples with young children. It will be across the spectrum,” Sabh adds.
The club will be primarily social, with no politics involved. There will be monthly Coffee Mornings, Pub Nights, sports get-togethers for the World Cup, rugby and British Cup finals, and of course, special celebrations, for things like the upcoming Royal Wedding on May 19. There’s even a Curry Night already scheduled on the calendar on Sept. 15.
The first Coffee Morning is scheduled for April 19, so Sabh and Peacock encourage anyone interested in connecting with other Wilton residents who hail from the UK to get in touch via email.