Dear LPG

I like to think of myself as a bit of an artistic writer and would offer a few words on the subject of cinema.

“I now go from my home on a weekly run to Beckenham.   I travel by bus 54 and first make a visit to Barclays bank, I then cross the road to the Odeon Cinema, an art deco building set on the roundabout.   I patiently await its opening; the official time is 10:45 and, as I make my lonely vigil, the queue slowly grows and consists of the disabled, old and infirm.  We all come for our pensioners £3.00 ticket plus free coffee and biscuits. 

Hopefully I will get my ticket quickly as the queue for fodder is as long as the entrance one.  I then go to my seat and anticipate that moment when the screen comes to life.  Many films suitable for us oldies are shown and many will arrive 3 years later on channel 15 digital.

I travel alone but meet up with a friend that I have made since going, and we discuss the film and after my adventure I go home well satisfied and happy.”  

I know, through personal experience that retirement can be a very positive time for some but it can also be a very lonely experience for others.  But part of the reason why it can, sometimes, be attributed to the fact that elders can find it hard to make friends or find the enthusiasm to get out of the house.  When I look back at the words I wrote a few weeks ago now they can appear a little depressing but finding the courage to make my first visit to Beckenham Odeon’s ‘Silver Cinema’ was worth the effort and I would like to recommend the practise as £3.00 per week is very  well spent.

CDC, Downham

LPG learned that Beckenham is the most local Odeon Cinema offering these special viewing sessions for the older members of the community, although Orpington and Streatham are also arguably local. They offer a wide range of films both older and recent and a cup of tea, the opportunity for a chat and some company are always an advantage.  The added bonus of having a subject to chat about apart from the weather (one of the films that has been shown recently or the one to be shown on the day) gives an excellent subject to initiate a conversation with someone you have yet to become firm friends with when the state of the weather has been exhausted. 

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