A WAY weekend to remember: Laughter, dancing and peer support

February 2026

Scottish WAY member Heather, now living in Essex, recently enjoyed a Glasgow WAY weekend meet-up alongside more than 30 other young widowed people from across the UK – complete with comedy, crazy golf and ceilidh dancing. She takes up the tale…

“As a proud Glaswegian living down south, I was excited to hear that a Glasgow WAY weekend meet-up was in the pipeline after attending the WAY AGM in September 2025. I knew that attending this weekend would not only allow me to connect with other young widows in similar circumstances, but also would give me a chance to visit my hometown.

I was widowed suddenly in 2024 when my husband Lee passed away, and I live in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex with my two children who are 11 and 14, and two very cheeky whippets. I joined WAY very soon after Lee passed away, after the recommendation from a friend, and have attended various meet-ups. These have included both local events, such as dinners in Boreham, Essex and a trip to a beach hut with other young widows and our children, and events that have been further afield such as the AGM in Bournemouth last year.

To summarise the Glasgow weekend, I’d like to use one word: brilliant! This word was used several times over the course of the weekend to describe the events. WAY trustee Gary had meticulously organised each event with care, sorting details and deposits, food orders and lots of fun!

The weekend began with a visit to The Glee Club on Friday evening – a live comedy venue that certainly provided us with some glee! There were many laughs at the comedy acts with my highlight being Glaswegian comedian Ray Bradshaw, who regaled us with stories of his childhood and growing up with deaf parents.

Saturday’s first event was a trip to an adult-only crazy golf venue – Golf Fang in Finnieston, just minutes from the city centre. We played 18 crazy holes of crazy golf which featured a hamster cage, a campervan from Breaking Bad, a tunnel of love (with a decorated swan – very apt, as WAY’s logo is a swan!), a bouncy castle, a rave room and a Jeremy Kyle set (which was of course named The Wee Jimmy Kyle Show!). Golf Fang is decorated by graffiti artists from floor to ceiling and it is a quirky, impressive place with lots of light-hearted talking points. Following my (rather pitiful) attempt at crazy golf – I blame the delicious cocktail! – we then had lunch from their street food café.

Saturday evening involved a visit to another quirky venue – a music bar called Avant Garde in Glasgow’s Merchant City. We were fortunate that Gary had pre-booked a function room as the bar itself was bustling with activity when we arrived, with many people enjoying an Elvis tribute act. A mouthwatering Mediterranean meal followed and before long, a gentleman and his accordion took centre stage and played traditional Scottish music and the ceilidh began. 

Friendly Glaswegians danced with WAY members from all over the UK and enthusiastically demonstrated the steps of a range of traditional Scottish country dances, some of which I fondly remembered from PE lessons when I was at school.

Ceilidh dancing is thirsty work, and the bar kept us all well-hydrated during breaks in between dancing. This gave us a chance to chat in the function room, sharing our experiences, laughs and tears with some beverages.

While I have had support during my journey, there is nothing quite like the peer support you get from other WAY members who just ‘get it’. Everyone makes you feel so comfortable and welcome within this club no one wanted to join.

For anyone considering attending a WAY event, whether it be online or in person, my advice would be to go for it! The Glasgow weekend was a fantastic way to spend an otherwise dreary January weekend and I look forward to attending more WAY events this year, such as the AGM and perhaps another Glasgow weekend in the future?!

Above all, many thanks to Gary for organising a brilliant weekend. The time and effort that goes into something of this size is not unnoticed and it is greatly appreciated.”