Beers and boyhood: a story of friendship

Sixty-four years ago, a group of best friends graduating from school agreed to meet up for a monthly beer at the local bar every first Tuesday of the month.

Six and a half decades later, they’ve never missed a meet-up.

Best mates

The "lads" met at Prince Henry's School in Evesham, UK, in 1953. But when it came time for graduation in 1960, they didn’t want to say goodbye.

What started as their “farewell pint” turned into a pact to meet every month – no matter where life might take them. Now all in their eighties, the men have stayed true to their pact and feel like a “band of brothers” all these years later.

• The bros also have room for a redemption arc. One of the group's “newer” members, David Day, started joining for a beer twenty-two years ago after a forty-year hiatus from the friend group.
• "When I returned… it was just like we'd been drinking the night before," he said of his friends from his teenage years. "It didn't take very long to pick up again on what everybody had been up to and feel comfortable chatting to people about it."
• He's been joining the men every month since.

The men talk about anything and everything during their monthly lads’ night. They reminisce on old memories, keep each other updated on their lives and families, and look forward to the future.

While some men understandably miss occasional meetings due to conflicts or vacations, most have been consistent for the 60+ years together. They also stress how special it is for each of them to continue meeting in person. Not only does it get the senior citizens up and out of the house each month, but it continues to remind them of the importance of face-to-face contact and making memories together.

The men have no plans to stop their meet-ups any time soon. Here's to more years and more pints shared together every month🍻.