We held our first assembly of the year on 28 May 2015.
Rabbi Julia Neuberger gave a wide-ranging talk encouraging us, and others, to have a more positive view of ageing and older people. She encouraged us to volunteer more, and use technology to help us, and made a plea for more public toilets and benches so as not to trap people in their homes.
Dr Andrew Howe, Director of Public Health, Barnet, gave a talk showing that Barnet is doing quite well for older people, with statistics showing where more work is needed.
Mathew Kendall, Adults and Communities Director, London Borough of Barnet, is responsible for social workers and financial assessments for “care”, and gave a talk explaining what changes are on the way.
Councillor Lisa Rutter, Barnet’s Champion for Older People, talked about her Dementia Club.
There were talks and information stalls from a number of organisations:
- Nancy Nelson from Age UK talked about men’s cookery classes
- Paul Higgins from The Reader Organisation talked about their shared reading groups
- Stephen Craker from Altogether Better talked about their work in East Finchley, Burnt Oak and Edgware and Stonegrove
- Jane Judd introduced a dance performance by the D2D dance company, based at the Bull Theatre
- Local writer Andi Michael spoke about her creative writing workshops, writing for pleasure rather than publication
- Eclipse had an information stall about their mental health services
The next assembly is planned for October.