Hi just a shout out to any online members thinking of joining “jolly dollies” I was abit dubious as have to pay annual subscription by paypal which I didn’t want to do as have never used however as this was the only way to pay I went ahead, the idea is other members in your area contact you to meet up for outings etc. on joining I found I was given a list online of members in my immediate area and found only one approx. 10mile away others too far to meet up, not as expected, worse still despite an invitation to members to contact me regarding any plans they may have I have received no contact from anyone I have now subsequently unsubscribed not sure if scam but please beware,
Thanks for this @Gailee, I’d not heard of it before. It certainly looks an interesting idea, but it’s a shame you didn’t get any responses. I’ll ask my colleague Priscilla if she knows anything about the site, but from what I’ve seen of it, it seems genuine enough.
best wishes
Nancy
Hi Gailee
I did the same ,I did get to meet up with two ladies but they were the only two in the group.
I didn’t pay any money as they said they only meet up , maybe a couple time a year.That’s not what I needed .
I don’t know where you live or how old you are.
Please do no be offended when I am pointing you to this group its for the older person.
Please dont laugh either it’s call U3A University of the third age.
Coffee morning once a mth with speakers.Outing 4/5 times per year.But smaller clubs within the club.So you can join and learn how to Sing,Sew,Yoga,Mah Jong, Bridge and so on each group does different things…Hope this is helpful.
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Hi Orlando thanks for reply, yeah not quite what I expected, I am 57 and i’m in Norfolk, never heard of group you mention but will research it, best wishes
Thanks Nancy, rather disappointed as had hoped it would lead to some friendships.
Hi Gailee,
I have heard of Jolly Dollies before, I think some other users on this site have used them, so it seems unlikely it’s a scam. Perhaps they just don’t have enough users in your area, which is a shame.
As an alternative, I’m aware of a lot of people who’ve used WAY (Widowed and Young, for anyone under 50 who’s lost a spouse or partner) or Way Up (the equivalent for people aged 50+). They each have an online forum similar to ours, but they are more geared towards helping people find others in their area and arrange local meet-ups. I believe they both have quite a large number of users, so you might have more luck there?
I’ve just got caught by the same thing. I paid my subscription after reading about groups, one local, only to find that there is only one member who had given up waiting for anyone else to contact her. There might be larger groups of this outfit if you live in a big town but if you don’t, beware.
I later found out that it depends where you live as to how many members may be in a group. in certain areas there are active groups but in more rural areas not many members but it isn’t a scam. WOrth finding out as much as you can about any group,in your area and number of any members before you subscribe.
Hi Gilli, Yeah it was me who started the convo re: Jolly Dollies, I had subscribed and found only one person who lived about 10mile away but no one else contacted, very disappointed would not recommend, I have now unsubscribed so as to stop payment going out again next year, and incidentally never heard from the one person near me either.
Hi Gailee. Thanks for your reply. I actually contacted Jolly Dollies as I wasn’t happy and the lady said where I lived was a new group but they would try to get it up and running if I gave them our local paper, radio etc. I contacted the only other member and we are actually meeting up tomorrow, so, I will see how it goes. If nothing comes of any more members I will cancel my subscription. At the end of the day, I might have made a new friend so that’s a positive to take from it if nothing else.
I too joined the Jolly Dollies after my husband passed away in 2014. They are not a scam however, I too received a list of members for me to contact which took me by surprise and then 6 months after I joined I received a newsletter saying that there had been theatre trips and meals out that I had not been invited too.
Following that I also unsubscribed and felt quite hurt by what I had found out in the newsletter.
Hi Jonesy1114,
I see that this is your first post on the site. I’m really sorry for your loss, and also to hear about your bad experience trying to join a Jolly Dollies group - I can see why that would leave you feeling hurt and left out.
I hope that you find the Sue Ryder Online Community a good source of support - many of our users find that posting here helps them feel a little less alone. When you feel ready, you may want to start a new conversation to tell people more about your experiences, or bring up a particular issue you’d like to talk about.
If there is anything I can help with, or you have any questions about this site, just let me know.
Priscilla
Community Manager
Hi Thanks so much for replying with your experience of “Jolly Dollies”, although like me you weren’t contacted by anyone and subsequently unsubscribed I can’t help thinking that even so there must be many like us that have initially paid £10 for nothing and think of all the money they have received even if people only pay once! It is disheartening when you pluck up courage to do something about your loneliness and wanting to meet others only to feel let down and conned!
Hello, I’m a member of a Jolly Dollies group in Nottingham. I have found that there isn’t much support from the parent group, and the local groups are expected to self organise. I’ve just received an updated contact list for the 22 members in my area, and have offered to co-ordinate events if members will let me know what they are interested in. If anyone in the Nottingham area would like to join us, please PM me. There is a £10 annual subscription. Hopefully I’ll manage to get things moving in my area. Best wishes, Jayne x
My mum joined and has had a wonderful time and has met some wonderful people. This isn’t a scam. Just an organisation trying to help widows like my mum.
I,ve joined the Jolly Dollies And Found them great They’re very friendly and supportive, even though we were a same sex female couple.They do a lot of things but I suppose it depends If there’s many members in you area.Do try.No Way is it a scam.Theyre very genuine.Many widows are members, also there’s a widowers organisation. Vee 1