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| The day will be a celebration of people aged 50 and over |
Older people celebrating and being celebrated on special day
Older people will be celebrating and being celebrated throughout Staffordshire this week.
Staffordshire County Council's Social Care and Health Directorate is hosting a range of free activities to help mark National Older People's Day Older on Wednesday October 1.
The day is a chance to celebrate the achievements of older people, help raise their profile and recognise the huge contribution that they make to society. It's also a chance to tackle outdated stereotypes and affirm a more positive view of later life.
The initiative is supported by the Department for Work and Pensions in partnership with a range of other government departments and agencies.
Cllr Susan Woodward, Cabinet Member for Healthier Communities and Older People said: "This event is about celebrating the major contribution that thousands of people aged over 50 make to this county. They've helped build a prosperous economy, a strong society and a better sense of community. Today, the UK's over 50s have greater opportunities than ever before to lead healthy, active and fulfilling lives."
Local schools, libraries and other agencies will also take part in the Staffordshire events using a range of stimulating activities to encourage more interaction across age groups and communities.
The event also coincides with UN International Day of Older People and it's the second anniversary of the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 that made it unlawful for employers to discriminate against a person because of their age.
Some of the activities taking place in Staffordshire include coffee mornings, storytelling events, Wii fit demonstrations and reminiscence sessions.
Events include:
Cannock Chase
An afternoon tea event is to be held at The Welcome Club, Hednesford Road, Heath Hayes from 2-4pm. Well-known local historian and story teller Reg Fullelove (known locally as "Aer Reg") will entertain with tales and memorabilia from yester year. The club will also be joined by pupils from Blake Valley Technology College who will be helping out and are working on an item via their Literacy Co-ordinator to present on the day.
As Autumn and the darker evenings are approaching, various partner agencies have also been invited such as Street Wardens, Neighbourhood Watch, Crime Prevention, the Carers Association South Staffs, Staffordshire Fire Service and Police Community Supoort Officers to cover community safety.
The club will be serving tea, coffee and cakes free of charge.
East Staffordshire
Burton Day Centre, Horace Pritchard and Burton Library are joining forces to run a Reminiscence Afternoon. This will include material from the WW2 era, including ration books, posters, DVDs of events of that time and other articles from that era. There will also be a selection of old fashioned sweets and cakes. The event will be held at the day centre and it is intended that carers' and an older persons club that uses the day centre will also be invited.
A group from the Day Centre is also visiting The Museum of Childhood at Sudbury Hall, so that they can share memories of their childhood and enjoy lunch together.
Newcastle
A Memory Lane Coffee Morning will be held at Newcastle Library from 10.00am to 12.00pm with a display of local photographs.
There will be different activities for older people, including 'Tracing your family tree,' PC demonstrations, and an inter-generational activity with a Nintendo Wii delivered by Brighton House. Priory Day Centre will offer handicrafts and card craft demonstrations, as well as an art work and pottery craft demonstration and exhibition. Advice and guidance to available services for older people will also be provided by Beth Johnson.
Stafford
A story telling event between older people and 10 year old year 6 pupils will take place at the (name school). This age group has been specifically targeted to help educate youngsters about older people's fears of tomorrow's hoodies. Groups of children will provide two or three storytellers per group to present their tales to the older people. Sharing experiences of what school was once like and favourite memories of childhood will be some of the topics discussed.
Lichfield
In Lichfield we will be celebrating this event by participating in a coffee morning at Burntwood Library between 9.30am and 12.00pm The event is being organised in conjunction with the Libraries Service.
Moorlands
Leek Day Centre are holding a coffee morning that will include speakers from other local community groups such as Age Concern, Haregate in Action, Beth Johnson. Staff will also provide details of community groups and activities around the area. Three service users from the Day Centre have also been invited to have lunch with pupils from Cheadle High School. As part of this, pupils will be showing the older people some of their work around arts and drama and discussing it with them.
South Staffordshire
A Full of Life event will be held organised by the Local Strategic Partnership. Young@Heart will bring generations together for an evening of fun and games on. People are encouraged to bring different generations of family and friends to enjoy bingo, board games and computer games. The events take place from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at the following venues: Monckton Recreation Centre, Penkridge, Coven Memorial Hall, Essington Community Centre, Codsall Village Hall and Stourton Village Hall.
Tamworth
A lunchtime meeting between residents and several children from Flaxhill Junior School. This is an opportunity for the local children and those from Meadowrythe to share experiences of being at school and what life was really like during the war. Food and refreshments will also be available on the day.
Page Last Modified:
01/10/2008 15:25:57
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