Mumbai (Harshit Yadav), October 25: When you think about lifelong friendships, what comes to mind? There’s something about clinking glasses that breaks down barriers and creates bonds. For a group of six men from Rotherham, England, it’s not social media or endless messaging apps that keep their bond strong—it’s a pint of beer every Thursday night for 56 years. Yeah, you read that right, 56 years. Paul Haynes, Bill Munden, Ken King, Peter Thirlwall, Brian Ayres, and Dick Cotton have stuck with their weekly drinking ritual since 1968.
I don’t know about you, but I find this dedication inspiring. Think about it: meeting up for more than half a century. It’s not hard to picture how life could interfere—family commitments, busy careers, or simply the effort of sticking to a routine for so many years. Yet, skipping a Thursday beer is practically unheard of for these men. Peter says, “It’s very, very rare for us to miss a Thursday.” without fail. Can you say the same for anything you’ve done regularly?
The pub tradition started simple enough—Ken and Paul, two mates who met at school, used to sneak off for a pint after playing golf. It wasn’t long before others joined in, and soon, it became a regular thing. I don’t know if they thought they’d still do this into their 80s, but here we are. And what makes it even more interesting is how the conversations have changed over the years.
“We used to talk about soccer and sex, and now we talk about pensions and prostates”, Peter jokes. You can picture them laughing in the pub, thinking about the good old days.
Even though they’ve all grown old, their bond is still the same. Sure, they might argue about who’s paying for the next round of beer or have different political opinions, but nothing follows them out of the pub. “We have incredibly opposite political opinions, which leads to the most incredible and illogical discussions,” Paul mentions. And yet, those arguments never break their friendship. That’s rare.
You’d think lockdowns would have ended their beer meetings, but nope—they moved to Zoom. Ken said, “We still do Zoom once a month because we didn’t want to abandon them after COVID-19.” It’s funny to think that something as old-school as their pub tradition could embrace modern tech, but they made it work. And, honestly, it’s sweet that even distance and restrictions didn’t keep them apart.
Now, while these guys have mostly stuck to their two pints nowadays, with some even going alcohol-free, the magic of their Thursday night meetups remains intact. And, let’s be honest here—who wouldn’t want to be part of a group like that? Lifelong friends, laughter, shared memories, and no phones to interrupt the conversation. “We’re from the old school, the rock and roll days. We all meet up. It’s nothing to do with phones,” Peter shared. Pint is probably the secret sauce that’s kept them together all these years.
If there’s anything to take away from their story, it’s this: How a simple drink can create lasting connections. Every Thursday night, as they gather around the bar with their pints in hand, they’re not just sharing beer—they’re sharing life. For them, those drinks are more than just alcohol; they represent tradition, nostalgia, and the warmth of shared memories.
