A Letter from the EO - Age Without Limits Day (Creativity, Connection, and Positive Ageing)

Dear EC Members,

I'm excited to share highlights from celebrating Age Without Limits Day, last week. As you may know, this is a special time dedicated to celebrating ageing and challenging ageism in our communities.

On 10th June, we hosted a wonderful creative workshop led by artist Sharon Bailey, who has extensive experience working with older adults. Sharon guided us through making thoughtful and impactful collages about what it means to age with pride and without limits.

At the start of the session, we asked everyone to share advice they would give to their younger selves. With a combined age of 815 years, our group offered plenty of wisdom!

Some of the advice was to be authentic, trust your intuition, and avoid assumptions. Do what you want without waiting for the “perfect” moment. Adapt to life’s changes, accept shifts in your energy, and focus on enjoying life instead of dwelling on regrets. Take opportunities when they come—life’s path unfolds as you go. Make your own decisions, and don’t be afraid to take bold chances. Plan ahead, but don’t hesitate so long that you miss out. You can’t go back, so make the changes you need now.

We didn't manage to finish the collages, due to technical issues with the printers, but we’re planning another session soon to finish the them. We’ll share the completed artworks with you when they’re ready.

LAARC Radio also joined us to cover the workshop and interview participants, helping to spread the word about positive ageing and creativity in our community.

On 11th June, I attended a community event at Newcastle Central Library, organised by SEARCH. People came together to make placards promoting positive messages about ageing and to actively challenge ageism, highlighting the importance of changing the narrative around growing older.

This work was made possible thanks to funding from the Centre for Ageing Better, and we want to extend a big thank you for their support. Their ongoing commitment helps us create meaningful opportunities that bring older adults and communities together, encouraging positive stories and challenging negative stereotypes about ageing.

Age Without Limits Day reminds us all that ageing should be celebrated and that we each have a role to play in counteracting ageism, whether in our families, communities, or workplaces.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. We look forward to sharing more stories and creative projects as we continue to connect, celebrate, and inspire positive ageing in our community.

Of course, Ageing Without Limits is something we can think about and talk about all year round. We don’t need to wait for a special day to do something that helps others to see and understand what it means to age without limits.

If you are planning something that celebrates ageing, have had any interesting conversations around this topic or would like to share some advice you would give to your younger self, we’d love to hear from you – please feel to email Gill and I at info@eldersouncil.org.uk

Speak Soon,

Victoria

Executive Officer

The Elders Council of Newcastle