Mother Tongues from Farther Lands

Mother Tongues from Farther Lands

Dawinder BansalArts & Theatre

This month, British theatre producer Dawinder Bansal launches a brand new theatre show Mother Tongues from Farther Lands. The uplifting, inspiring and emotion-filled show has real stories of South Asian women relayed by female celebrities in a series of gripping monologues. The four-city show was produced after speaking to women of all ages and sheds light on hidden stories within the Asian community.

We had the chance to catch up with Davinder to hear all about the new show and the importance of allowing older people to share their stories and experiences…

The Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight Challenge

Tom LeslieFundraising

We were absolutely delighted when university student Tom Leslie decided to take on the Isle of Wight Challenge on behalf of Age UK London. Tom’s fundraising efforts will go a long way to making sure we continue to make London a great place to grow older. Yet despite already being so proud of Tom for completing the Isle of Wight challenge, it was upon reading his write-up of the event that we truly understood just how gruelling a task this was! Read on to get a small taste of what it’s like to trek all around the Isle of Wight in less than a day…

Harry Brown

Ageism in Film #8 – Harry Brown

Danny ElliottAgeism

“I first watched Harry Brown seven years ago. Before viewing it again this week my memory was of some form of horrific, vigilante buddy-movie starring Michael Caine and Filch from Harry Potter. Time had clearly faded the reality of what the film was about, if not the essence; though a ‘buddy-movie’ this is not!”

In the eighth edition of our monthly series on ageing in film, Danny Elliott discusses isolation and loss of community in the vigilante thriller Harry Brown.

Jo Cox Commission

The Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness

George HarveyDigital Inclusion

The Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness shone the spotlight on isolation amongst older people between March and April 2017. Whilst loneliness affects people of all ages and walks of life, older people are especially at risk as they are more likely to experience deteriorating health and the death of a loved one.

It is our responsibility to continue to raise awareness around loneliness and the ways in which we can combat it.

Marathon Runner

Marathons and Mental Health

Charlotte CornishFundraising

The mental health of older people in London, and in particular loneliness, is key to Age UK London’s work. We were therefore delighted to hear that Prince William and Prince Harry are using this Sunday’s London Marathon as a vehicle to help end the stigma around talking about mental health.

Yet how does mental health vary by age group? Charlotte Cornish investigates…

Tackling Loneliness in London

Matthew RyderCampaigns

As our population ages, we must ensure older people can thrive in our city. Too many older Londoners get lost in the crowd and are unable to make the most of later life. Yesterday I went to a Techy Tea Party, hosted by Age UK London at the HQ of Amazon Audible. It was part of #happytochat, a new campaign from the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness. The party reminded me of how important both personal and virtual connections can be for older people. It was great to know the older people there were being given new skills to help them […]

Table Tennis

Is Table Tennis the Future of Alzheimer’s Therapy?

Andrew BattleyDementia

With the numbers of those affected by Alzheimer’s continuing to rise (with over 1 million people in the UK expected to be affected by 2025) and the cost of treating the disease mounting (over £26 billion annually in the UK currently), now is the time for action!

Outside of the box research is key to driving advances in alternative methods of treatment and developing low cost drug free options to prevent the disease. Picking up this BATon is the BAT Foundation – a national charity investigating the benefits table tennis can have physically, mentally, and emotionally on those living with Alzheimer’s.

Ageing and Film #7 – Esio Trot

George HarveyAgeism in Film

It’s always difficult to know where you stand with Roald Dahl. Whenever you pick up a book or put on a film that the great storyteller has written, it’s often hard to predict what comes next. Will it feature the heart-warming resilience of Matilda? Perhaps we’ll delve into a mysterious adventure akin to The BFG? Or maybe the bad-taste debauchery of My Uncle Oswald will surface? Whatever happens, it’s certainly very hard to second guess the mind of Mr Dahl.

Let’s see what Esio Trot has to offer…