We think everyone will agree that this has been a very strange and difficult year, with many uncertainties and stresses, but also wonderful examples of human spirit and community feeling.

As we move from 2020 into 2021 everyone connected to Engage with Age wishes you a very happy Christmas and also a good new year.

To see us in, here is an excerpt from the Christmassy Virtual Slipped Disco, which was held at the Black Box in Belfast on the 7th December 2020. The Virtual Slipped Disco is an online version of our disco, and because of Covid-19 restrictions it is presented online, live on Zoom and also on Facebook.

Click this link to enjoy our finale from our Christmas event, with our DJs Groover and Rhythm Bandit, presenter Maggie Cronin, our Disco Dinosaurs, the Socially Distanced Dance Group, and our viewers, grooving away at home. Enjoy this clip as we dance away to our anthem for the year, “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor.

Click this link: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=search&v=792387668316398&external_log_id=9a575003-0293-4038-9e2c-55e9a1e7ad30&q=Christmassy%20Virtual%20Slipped%20Disco

Merry Christmas Everyone!

We have had so much uncertainty lately – living under lockdowns, allowed to go out but required to stay apart, ongoing changes in what we need to do to stay safe but needing to also stay sane. It’s easy to forget to keep well.

So join Engage with Age for a day of wellness and feeling good online called “Feel Good Friday”.

“Feel Good Friday” is on Friday 4th November 2020 from 9am in the morning on Engage with Age’s Face book page https://www.facebook.com/EngageWithAgeBelfast

Presented through Facebook, “Feel Good Friday” offers a day of relaxation, stimulation, and diversion.

Our online day of wellness includes early morning relaxation and breathing exercises, cookery videos throughout the day, style tips for men and women, poetry readings from the Words Alive poetry group, talks and more. There are also tips and links to lots of activities to get you outdoors and healthy.

It’s all free. Our programme begins at 9am and runs through to 6.30pm.

For once here is a good reason to stay in front of your computer all day.

Join us on https://www.facebook.com/EngageWithAgeBelfast from 9am Friday for “Feel Good Friday”.

There is a lot of information to take in every week about the most up to date Covid-19 safety information, plus information on activities and opportunities.

Stay up to date by following Engage with Age on Facebook. We circulate Northern Ireland Department of Health information and guidance, which also informs our activities and our safety procedures. By following us on Facebook one can also find out about our latest opportunities and activities, plus lots of information about services from other agencies and charities.

Stay up to date and follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/EngageWithAgeBelfast

Engage with Age is pleased to announce the launch of a telephone befriending scheme.

Made possible by a grant from Comic Relief, Engage with Age is able to fulfil a long-held ambition to support older people through one to one Befriending services. Research undertaken through Queen’s University has shown that half of the older people referred to Engage with Age for loneliness want one to one befriending, rather than getting involved in group activities. The impact of Covid-19 and need to isolate on the grounds of health has heightened the need for these services for individuals that can reach them at home. Reports from Belfast Health and Social Care Trust highlight a 300% increase in requests for support for older people experiencing loneliness.

Engage with Age is now seeking people to become volunteer telephone befrienders who will phone one or two older people every week to bring a little more joy and hope into their lives.

To find out more please call Lois Kennedy, Befriending Officer, on 07423 702721 or email befriending@engagewithage.org.uk

For one day only on Thursday 25th June 2020.
Reaching in – connecting out!

We are living in funny old times. Stay in, go out, keep your distance, go online…

Engage with Age has the very thing and announces the launch of “The Big Day Inside Out” – a one day festival for people who want to stay in, those who want to go out, people who are online, and those with no access to the internet but who enjoy social contact and fun but still want to stay safe.

“The Big Day Inside Out” offers a mixed programme. There are outdoor activities such as socially distanced walks, games of Petanque (“French Bowls”), telephone based activities including ‘conference call’ coffee mornings, talks, online sessions with T’Ai Chi and Exercise, plus games and fun.

Highlights include: “Looking Good in Lock-Down” presented by internet sensation Garry Jackson from Garry’s Barber Shop in Holywood and Katie Quinn from the Scissor Sisters salon; a live creative writing reading online by the Words Alive group; a guided Spring Watch walk; outdoor performances of the outdoor show “The Broads”; Coffee and Cookie conference call coffee mornings for people who are isolating at home; and Whatsapp Cookery.

At 3pm Engage with Age hosts “The Big Debate”, a Zoom debate chaired by journalist Anne Hailes with contributions from the Commissioner for Older People, the Chair of the Greater Belfast Seniors Forum, and Alderman Sonia Copeland from Belfast City Council.

In the evening rounds off with an exclusive one-off online performance of “The Broads” show by actors Maria Connolly, Christina Nelson, and Roisin Gallagher, plus online Chocolate Bingo, and a Pub Quiz without a Pub.

For further information log on to: https://thebigdayinsideout.com/ or call 07710 993036.

The Words Alive creative writing group has launched its “Your Story and Mine” exhibition. Over several months (pre-Pandemic), members of Words Alive visited care homes and supported living centres and the members of Words Alive shared their stories with those of the people they met. These visits were documented by photographer Bernie Brown, and together they have created the “Your Story and Mine” exhibition.

“Your Story and Mine” is a wonderful collection of memories and personal histories. Personal testimonies are woven together with candid photographs, and together they capture the personalities of the subjects themselves.

The exhibition is currently online and there are plans for future exhibition.

To view the exhibition online visit:
https://online.flippingbook.com/view/065/

“Your Story and Mine” can also be viewed on Engage with Age’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1649800958501686&set=pcb.1649802618501520

Engage with Age is delighted to announce the arrival of The PAL Gazette. The Gazette is an initiative to keep older people in contact during lockdown. It is a newspaper written by older people for older people. It is a physical, hard copy newspaper which is posted to older people and also distributed through supported living centres and nursing homes. It reaches over 1,500 people.

Each edition of the PAL Gazette will be packed articles, information and quizzes.

The first edition of the PAL Gazette includes articles on local older people’s forums, historic pubs in Belfast, Anne’s Crafty Corner showing us how to make an Easter decoration, plus quizzes, recipes and a “Spot The Ball” feature. There are three competitions and the prize for each is a £10 Tesco voucher. Telephone the numbers given to enter each quiz.

For further information follow Engage with Age on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EngageWithAgeBelfast or call Eamon on 07710 993036.

Engage with Age is urging older people to stay at home to stay safe from the spread of Covid-19.

From Monday 16th March 2020 all company in person activities have been suspended and the company staff are all now working from home.

We urge members of the public to stay up to date with ongoing Covid-19 safety advice and to follow the Public Health guidance.

To stay in contact with Engage with Age please follow us on Facebook at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/EngageWithAgeBelfast

This is the most up to date link for our work.

The main company telephone number is not operating as we are out of the office working from home, but you can reach members of staff on the following numbers:

Cathy Chambers 07468 695593
Eamon Quinn 07710 993036
Laurence Wright 07425 627531
John McCandless 07729 516576
Martin Towers 07856 926412

Please stay safe and if you have any queries please make contact with us.

On Wednesday 18th March 2023 the Greater Belfast Seniors Forum will be hosting a Forums recruitment event at Belfast City Hall. The event will run from 10am – 1.30pm.

The intention is to recruit new members for individual forums, and the forums represented are:

North Belfast Seniors Forum
West Belfast Over 50s Forum
Shankill Older People’s Forum
Belfast East Seniors Forum
South Belfast Lifestyle Forum
Castlereagh Seniors Forum

Older people living in a forum’s respective area, particularly people who represent older people’s groups, are all eligible to join their local forum.

Older people’s forums help represent the views of older people and address issues affecting older people in their areas. Forums routinely speak with public agencies and decision makers, and also highlight opportunities and services to benefit older people.

To come along to the Forum Recruitment Event please contact John McCandless on 028 9073 5696 or email john.mccandless@engagewithage.org.uk