Celebrity support for Grey Matters continues to grow

Veteran broadcaster, Joan Bakewell, has added her voice to the list of celebrities endorsing Grey Matters Day, which takes place on Friday 21 July 2006.

Joan Bakewell, who has a career spanning five decades across television, radio and newspapers, has contacted ERoSH in support of the aims of Grey Matters Day, highlighting the positive aspects of being older and the importance of keeping mentally agile. Her book, 'The View from Here: Life at Seventy' is published in August. Joan said:

"Being old can be as lively and pleasurable a time of life as any other. We don’t start dying the moment we're 70! The University of the Third Age attracts huge numbers. There are students at the Open University that already have their bus passes. I know of someone in their 70s who is learning to tap dance. The novelist Mary Wesley published her first novel at 70. It can be a good time to be alive.

"Good health is a blessing and not to be taken for granted.  We can help by keeping fit, walking regularly, swimming, and playing tennis and golf. I have met plenty of hikers on the countryside paths of England who will not see 60 again. And insist on keeping your mind active. I do the daily newspaper's quick crossword over breakfast, and tackle the cryptic one later and more slowly. Sometimes I top them up with a stab at Sodoku. Moreover, it's rewarding having so much time to read - this is the time to catch up on all you never had space for before.

"Family and friendship matter more than ever, new friends as well as old. It is comforting to meet up with people of the same age so that the often strange ways of younger generations don’t get you down. Stay in touch with grandchildren, too: they keep you lively and in touch. But most of all take the time to be yourself, appreciate what you’ve done in life and be proud of it."

Grey Matters Day will celebrate:

• the wisdom and knowledge of older people everywhere
• the contribution older people have made and continue to make to our society and
• the contribution that sheltered and retirement housing makes to the health and well-being of thousands of tenants and residents across the UK.

The Day is targeted at the thousands of sheltered and retirement housing estates and schemes, and older people in their local communities throughout the UK, with the aim of encouraging them to engage in activities that help keep their grey cells healthy and active. This activity may seem trivial, but in fact, the phrase 'use it or lose it' applies to the brain.

Grey Matters Day has struck a chord with a growing list of people and organisations:

• In early June, television personality, Jennie Bond, and actress Sue Nicholls, gave their support for Grey Matters Day
• In May, national charities, NAPA (the National Association for Providers of Activities for Older People) and the Mental Health Foundation announced their support.

Since April, ERoSH has also heard from many MPs who wish to visit their local sheltered and retirement estates to take part and help promote the messages of the Day.