We were invited to attend the Ageing Well Event at the Schofield Family Centre in Loughborough, hosted by Nicky Morgan MP and Age UK, and it certainly was eventful, writes John Bolton.
'Ageing Well’ was aimed at providing people with as much information as possible about planning for and living through a long and positive retirement, and it brought together local providers from the public, private and voluntary sectors, all dedicated to helping people in our community as they grow older.
We found ourselves alongside a wide range of stalls with well-known names such as Age UK, Admiral Nurses and the RNIB, as well as lots of smaller charities and service providers from around the area.
Representing Chesterton House and Woolley Beardsleys & Bosworth, our Legal arm, were Andy Jervis (Director), Inga Grosu (Trainee Accountant), Jordan Wong (Financial Planner), Ross Mackie (Paraplanner) and myself.
We got the chance to have a look around and meet other stallholders, who were offering information on health checks, community activities, respite care, carers support, help to live at home, fire services and much more, and we were there to offer financial and legal advice.
After meeting the other stall owners, who were all very friendly and informative, we decided a lovely cuppa tea was necessary. When we discovered that all proceeds raised money for Leicester Admiral Nurses Appeal, no one felt twinges of guilt when tucking into a slice of the lemon drizzle. Don’t you just love knowing that eating cake and drinking tea is helping provide specialist dementia support? It just somehow makes it taste a little bit sweeter…
We had a stall right at the front, so the first thing people saw when they entered was the new Chesterton House and Woolley, Beardsleys and Bosworth banners, and as people filtered in throughout the morning, our five-strong team was on hand to answer questions about money, pensions, lasting power of attorney, Wills and a range of other matters.
The event was hosted by Nicky Morgan MP, and it was great to chat to her about the importance of LPAs and Wills for families and individuals - she must have been interested in what we had to say because she came back for another chat and a photo later in the day.
Our Team ran three workshops during the day, hosted by Andy and Jordan. Andy discussed “Planning for Care” and “Lasting Powers of Attorney”, while Jordan ran a talk on “Pensions – what can I do with my pension?” Those that attended the seminars raised plenty of questions about these important topics, helping to increase their understanding.
Before long it was time for us to pack up the stall, take the nametags off and say goodbye to the people we had met over the day. But first we had to have a go at the Leicester Admiral Nurses Appeal’s Tombola, knowing that the money they raised was helping to fund the first Admiral Nurse for Leicestershire, a very worthy cause. We’re pleased to say that Jordan was the proud winner of a MASSIVE Ferrero Rocher Easter egg. We’re less proud to say we haven’t seen him since…..
Thank you very much to Nicky Morgan MP and Age UK for inviting us to the event, not only for allowing us to educate the public on important matters for their future, but also for an excellent chance to get together as a team. We enjoyed it and we know from the people we helped on the day that this was a valuable event for everyone who attended.
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