We will hold a short AGM at 10.30am, including presentation of the annual report and accounts for 2020 – 2021, election of Executive Committee Members and any other business that members wish to raise.
Then we will be treated to Peter and Christine Padwick giving us a light-hearted survey of banning and censorship over the past 100 years or so with pictures, songs & anecdotes touching on George Formby, Reith and the BBC, cricket, Marilyn Monroe, Sooty, G.B. Shaw, Donald McGill, the Crazy Gang, Dr.Crippen, Alfred Hitchcock, Eartha Kitt, Thomas Hardy, Henry Hall, adverts, Frank Sinatra, D.H. Lawrence, Max Miller, George Gershwin and much more along the way.
To join the meeting and talk, use the following link at 10:30 on Tuesday:
We pay tribute to Monty Meth in the April/May newsletter which is now out. We also use the opportunity to all for more volunteers, especially for the Executive Committee and the Social Events Team. This is your Forum and we need new ideas and energy to help drive it forward. Note (p2 “Back to the gym”) that the Fusion Leisure Centres will be opening on 12 April and you need to make sure your membership is up to date to get the Forum discounts. And check out p15 “Become Creative” as we are still looking for your contribution to our exhibition.
It is with great sadness that the Enfield Over 50s Forum announces that the borough has lost one of its most well-known champions. Leader of the Forum for more than twenty years, Monty Meth celebrated his ninety-fifth birthday earlier this month but sadly passed away on 14 March. Although his health deteriorated of late, his mind and incisiveness remained as sharp as ever until the end.
It is well known that the UK has an ageing population, especially as those born during the 1960s baby boom start to reach retirement age. However it is not just about how long we live, but how well we live, says Anna Dixon, Chief Executive for the Centre of Ageing Better. She gave a presentation in February at one of our regular webinars to explain how the centre is working towards ‘a society where everyone enjoys later life’.
Here is a video of her talk. There are some moments when sound quality is a bit marginal. After her slideshow, we finished with some questions and answers moderated by Christine Whetstone, our chair. You can download or view Anna’s slides here.
“The Failed Bank Manager: My personal journey to learn about and survive the culture of life in prison.”
Ian, who is a popular speaker on the cruise line circuit, explains how he moved from banking into prison – as an employee, not a prisoner(!) – and his life as a prison governor.
The Forum is working hard during the lockdown to help Enfield residents as this article by Monty Meth in February’s edition of Enfield Dispatch shows.
Monty Meth from Enfield Over 50s Forum on a new project to help address the fallout from the pandemic
The coronavirus epidemic is causing not only record death rates and pressure on our hospitals, but also unprecedented demands on Enfield GPs tackling the fall-out from Covid-19 among older people – loneliness. depression, isolation, stress and anxiety.
I’ve spoken to one local GP about his who told me: “In this third lockdown we are seeing more older people than ever before and having more and more mental health consultations, resulting from increased social isolation. Patients with the mix of financial problems and increased deprivation are of particular concern.
“We are also seeing elderly patients with significant digital isolation, not being able to contact their GP practices, the NHS and other services and this is both causing and adding to their depression.”
Fortunately, Enfield Over 50s Forum has recently won a £9,600 National Lottery grant to help tackle loneliness and help bring people back into the community.
The forum will be battling on three fronts to involve people aged 65 and over living alone, low income pensioners over 75 without a TV Licence, and lastly people over 50 seeking help with their CV to find work, or anyone needing help in applying for Universal Credit.
We are hoping that Dispatch readers, with their special links in the community, will spread the news of these initiatives so that people feel there is no need to be old and lonely in Enfield.
Our membership secretary Jan Oliver who applied for the lottery grant, is planning a unique public display of artistic items created at home by older isolated people around the themes of hope and despair.
It can be a poem, a song, painting or photograph, a video, woodwork, knitting, a cake or anything you can think of.
“It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece and hopefully this special lockdown display will go on public view in June, or when the good times return,” says Jan.
To help combat loneliness, the Forum will also form a telephone friendship group, provide mobile phones to our most vulnerable members, enabling them to have safe contact while chatting with self-isolating friends.
“We shall ensure that those most at risk from isolation are involved – people living alone over the age of 65, Black, Asian and Minority-Ethnic community members and we’ll also be inviting residents from 24 Enfield care homes to participate.”
The Forum will also be encouraging more low-income pensioners aged over 75 to apply for a free TV licence. Jan adds: “With 1.3 million pensioners aged over 75 still not applying for the pension credit entitlement to a free TV licence – at least 400 of them Enfield residents – the Forum sees this as another campaign helping to reduce loneliness among older people.”
When we applied for the lottery grant, I wondered what the government was doing at local level to help prevent this deterioration in people’s health. There have been three government ministers for loneliness since the first was appointed in April 2018 and the current post holder, Baroness Diana Barran, a former investment banker has managed to find a trifling £5million to tackle loneliness since July 2019. It is being shared among nine organisations – one of them is the wealthy English Football League.
So it is being largely left to voluntary sector organisations like Enfield Over50s Forum to grapple with mental health outcomes from coronavirus.
In a separate project, Forum volunteers and a professional job coach will be offering remote support to residents aged over 50 seeking employment.
For more information about any of the above projects, please call the Forum office 020 8807 2076, Monday-Thursday between 10am -2pm.
“The Failed Bank Manager: My personal journey to learn about and survive the culture of life in prison.”
Ian, who is a popular speaker on the cruise line circuit, explains how he moved from banking into prison – as an employee, not a prisoner(!) – and his life as a prison governor.
At the start of the talk, you can click on this link to join the meeting.
