Dear LPG,

I again found myself at Lewisham Pensioners Day at the town hall this year.  It is an annual event spearheaded by the Lewisham Pensioners’ Forum and I always find it really interesting.    It is an event of two halves with speakers before the intermission and entertainment after.

The speakers this year included the Mayor of Lewisham; Sir Steve Bullock, Arthur Torrington CBE represented the Windrush Foundation, the High commissioner of St. Lucia; His Excellency Mr Guy Mayres and Mr Chris Roles of Age International.  This year’s theme was valuing pensioners of the world.

All that was said during the speakers addresses left me feeling really positive about being an older person, but I was particularly inspired by LPF Chairperson, Bridget Sam-Bailey who told of a study that LPF undertook to learn about pensioners around the world and how they are valued.  I felt that her words put the predicament of the Pensioner in Lewisham in perspective. 

During the entertainment section of the event the audience were invited to join in with some singing warm-up exercises which were really engaging and fun. 

As is the usual practice, at the end of the event each member of the audience was offered an information pack, the contents of which I have to admit to taking a quick look at while on the bus home, putting somewhere once I get there and often rediscovering as late as after Christmas.   This year I took the time to read it through and I found that there was a bit of information that I was able to pass on to a neighbour and news of an organisation that I will be following up included.

It is the one day in the year when I am one of many pensioners who meet up with friends that they have not seen since the last year’s event.

It has to be said that the Lewisham Pensioners  Forum is one of the organisations that specialises in making sure that the voices of Lewisham pensioners are heard, we are lucky to have quite a few organisations of this type.  So let me echo the reminder that was offered during one of the speeches, and also an article I read on this site, that is that we senior citizens are often in a position to get involved and make a difference for pensioners  in  future.

SP, Lewisham.