LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH

RED HATTING IN THE UK

Chapters of the Red Hat Society started appearing in Britain around 2002 and have quickly grown from one or two groups to over 100 - mostly found in England but there are a few in Wales and Scotland

When Chapters are out and about enjoying themselves, they always create a lot of interest and gather new members wherever they go.

ORGANIZATION

The Red Hat Society fondly refers to itself as a "dis-organization" with the aim of social interaction, and to encourage fun, silliness, creativity, and friendship in middle age and beyond. The Society is not a charity or a voluntary service club. There are no initiations or fundraising projects.

A founder or leader of a local chapter is usually referred to as a "Queen". Members are called "Red Hatters". Members 50 and over wear red hats and purple attire to all functions. A woman under age fifty may also become a member, but she wears a pink hat and lavender attire to the Society's events until reaching her fiftieth birthday.

TWO IMPORTANT LADIES

Jenny Joseph was born in Birmingham, and studied English literature at St Hilda's College, Oxford, before becoming a journalist. Her first collection of poetry was published in 1960. The poem entitled "Warning", a witty poem about growing old, is her most popular work, and the inspiration for the Red Hat Society. At the time of writing, Jenny Joseph had no idea of the impact her poem would have on older ladies looking for a complete social circle.

Sue Ellen Cooper, a Fullerton USA resident, started the Red Hat Society quite by accident several years ago when she sent a copy of the poem, "Warning" and a red hat to a friend who was turning 55. It was such a hit that she did it again. Soon it was suggested that she and her friends get crazy and go out to lunch wearing their red hats and purple dresses, and the organization was born!

Newspapers and magazines wrote about her, and today there are more than 41,000 chapters around the world.

Sue Ellen, Exalted Queen Mother

Founder of The Red Hat Society