By Sue McDermott, Programme Manager Last week Comic Relief raised £63 million, but there was also criticism levelled at the BBC for an unrealistic portrayal of poverty in Britain. Was that criticism justified? I have managed projects funded through Comic Relief, so I know the difference it makes to local charities and people first hand. But Comic Relief’s action on poverty is nothing new – … Continue reading Kindness in the face of Adversity

By David Gledhill, Marketing and Communications Lead Exciting times. We are now just a few weeks away from the launch of the Torbay Over 50’s Assembly. In one way it is just the beginning, but in another, it is the culmination of many months of hard work by a dedicated group of over 50-year-olds who are determined that their age group have a voice in … Continue reading Join us for the launch of the Torbay Over 50’s Assembly

By David Gledhill, Marketing and Communications Lead. The best-laid plans of mice and …. a well known saying that takes on a whole new meaning when discussing plans for retirement Last week we spent hours in meetings in Torquay, Paignton and Brixham asking the question: “What do you wish you had known before you retired?” A simple question with seemingly an unlimited number of answers, … Continue reading Next Steps to retirement

By David Gledhill, Marketing and Communications Lead A date for your diary – Saturday, October 19th. It might seem a long way away now, but try telling that to the organisers of the Ageing Well Torbay annual festival who started work in earnest as soon as the last one finished. For them, it is less than eight months away and to get it right to … Continue reading Ageing Well Festival 2019

By David Gledhill, Marketing and Communications lead We need to talk about mental health. For some peculiar reason, we feel comfortable swapping stories about physical illnesses, particularly in Winter when the latest virus strikes, but never mental health We skirt around it using vanilla phrases such as I’m feeling a bit stressed or I am a bit down today, but whilst we would be happy … Continue reading Let’s talk about mental health

Have you ever stopped to think what you wish you had known before you retired? Downsized? Before you became a carer or your mobility changed? Or are there things you are thinking about now, before you retire? What advice would you give others? We want to pull together an ‘experts by experience guide’ that revolves around Next Steps…preparing for later life. We need a variety … Continue reading We need your help – Next Steps

By David Gledhill, Marketing and Communications Officer Congratulations this week to all involved in getting Torbay’s bid to become Age-friendly up and running. Three principle organisations are behind the bid – Ageing Well Torbay, Torbay Council and the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, though many more will follow over the coming weeks and months. It is a big step for all involved and … Continue reading Age-friendly? What does that mean?

Torbay is to become one of only 30 places in the UK to achieve Age-friendly Status. Torbay, made up of Brixham, Torquay and Paignton has been accepted to join the 700 places around the world that have already received the coveted designation. It is a process that can take up to three years, but has the backing of both Torbay Council and the Torbay and … Continue reading Torbay to gain age-friendly status

By David Gledhill, Marketing and Communications Officer Exciting times here at Ageing Well Torbay as we roll out our plans for an over 50’s assembly – Torbay Over 50’s Assembly (TOFA), launch our bid for Age-friendly status and work on a positive ageing charter. Ageing Well Torbay in its current form (funded by the Big Lottery Fund) has just over two years of the six-year … Continue reading Power to the (older) people