Started by Jemma Harrison and Fran Elliott, who both work from home, the club aims to bring likeminded people together to have a cup of tea, a chat and a walk first thing in the morning, getting the working week off to a good, positive start. 

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“Myself and my good friend Fran were both working from home and struggling to find the motivation to get out and do something before or after work,” Jemma explained. “I moved here three years ago and don’t know many people anyway, so in the winter it can be particularly isolating.

“We decided to get up and go for a walk first thing, so we literally dragged ourselves out of bed, brought a cup of tea along with us, and went for a walk along the beach.

“We found it really made a difference to the rest of the day, and to our week overall, just by going out and getting that vitamin D first thing.”

Jemma decided to put a shoutout on the local Falmouth community pages on Facebook, asking others who work from home to join them, and the post gained a lot of traction.  

“We held our first meet-up on Blue Monday, and had nine people come along for a cup of tea and a walk. We walked along Pendennis Point, and saw loads of dolphins which was really nice,” Jemma continued. “I started a group called Cuppa Club on Facebook, and we just post each week to say where we’re meeting. This week we did a walk from Castle Beach to Swanpool and back, and on Saturday some of us are going gig rowing!”

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Many of the members are new to the area, some work from home and feel isolated, while others run a business and don’t get to have many face-to-face interactions - Cuppa Club is here for anyone who finds themselves feeling alone or a little out of sorts, particularly during winter when it is less inspiring to leave the four walls of your warm home and head outdoors.

Jemma, who is a private chef on super yachts but also runs her own tea company, Four Twentea (www.fourtwentea.com), can relate to these feelings, and encourages anyone in a similar position to join Cuppa Club on Facebook to see if an early morning walk, cuppa and a chat might help. 

You never know, you might make a great bunch of friends, find a new activity to get stuck into, or simply feel a little more connected to your community.