Mr Day described himself as a newcomer to the group, having joined the monthly drinks only 22 years ago after living in London before retiring to Evesham.

He said as soon as he arrived, familiar faces and nostalgia took him back to his childhood.

“When I came back after a long hiatus of 40 years, it was like we had been drinking the night before,” he said.

“It didn’t take very long to understand again what everyone had been doing and feel comfortable discussing it with people.”

Mr Wells travels every month from Cheltenham with his school friend Mr Collins, and said: “It’s just nice to see the familiar faces and have a bite to eat.

“I’m generally not a very talkative person, I just like listening to that devastating stuff.”

The group said that while technology offers various ways to communicate and stay connected, nothing beats the moments and memories created when meeting in person.

Mr Wells encouraged young people to meet more.

“More often than not, they just talk individually on their phones during their phone group chat, rather than face to face.”