On Friday 1 October over 500 people celebrated national Older People’s Day. The event aimed to celebrate the contribution older people make to families and communities in the borough as well as increasing awareness of the variety of activities and opportunities they can get involved in around the Borough.

The event kicked off with energetic exercise group the Elderberries showcasing their activity session that takes place every weekday in the leisure centres across the borough. There was also the opportunity to take part a variety of activities including; a free gym induction, swimming lesson, ballroom dancing, Tai Chi and line dancing. All of the activities were full of new participants keen to get involved.

Upstairs in the bar area we held two reminiscence and games sessions with local primary school children. The Mayor of the LBBD, Cllr. Nirmal Singh Gill was a participant in the afternoon session.

While attendees enjoyed their free hot meal at lunchtime, local older people’s choir the Vintage Voices performed a diverse, contemporary set.

Attendees also perused over 40 stalls split into six themed zones to raise awareness of the activities and opportunities available to them including free leisure passes. The stalls were designed to showcase what our mature residents can get involved in and how they can learn new skills. We also had a ‘Meet Your Councillors’ where residents could air their concerns and hear about what we are doing for older people in the borough.

The event concluded with a prize draw with one lucky attendee taking home a pair of tickets to see Dagenham and Redbridge beat Swindon on Saturday.

Councillor Linda Reason, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Service said of the event; “We are delighted that more than 500 people braved the rain to come to Goresbrook. Many of the residents commented that they were pleased to discover how much is going on in the borough, signing up to activities and initiatives such as the Credit Union and volunteering opportunities on the spot.”