CAKE 29

Ageing Well

The event will challenge what we think of when we hear the word “ageing”, with a focus on positive ageing, lifelong ageing and ageing well. We will have speakers from a diverse range of backgrounds who explore how ageing intersects with innovation and creativity. They will explain how this has resulted in new and unexpected collaborations, which have been fuelled by creativity and uncovered new business opportunities.

As Newcastle University is a world leader in ageing research, this event is co-sponsored by the National Innovation Centre for Ageing and Arrow.

Arrow is a £3.4m supported innovation programme which aligns the needs of North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP; Northumberland, Tyne & Wear and Durham) based SMEs with Newcastle University's people, skills and funding.

National Innovation for Ageing is a world-leading organisation, created with a £40 million investment from UK Government and Newcastle University, bringing together world-leading scientists, business and industry, health and care providers, and the public in a unique space that is designed to lead on innovations that improve all aspects of life for our ageing societies.

Come and join us to hear how some of the regions innovators are helping us to age better. And, of course, CAKE!

Speakers:

Graham Armitage, Operations Director, National Innovation Centre for Ageing

In late 2006, Graham took up the role of Programme Director for the Campus for Ageing and Vitality, embedded within the Institute for Ageing and Health. The role encompassed the development of vision, projects and supporting collaborations for the Campus, which is being developed on the old Newcastle General Hospital site in partnership with the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation trust.

With the expansion of the ageing agenda across the University under the Newcastle Initiative on Changing Age, Graham’s role was expanded and repositioned within the University as an Assistant Director of Research and Enterprise Services, with responsibility for Changing Age. In this role, Graham acted as the Deputy Director of the Newcastle Initiative on Changing Age, working closely with the Associate Dean for Ageing to shape and deliver the Changing Age strategy. As part of the recent restructuring of research and Innovation in ageing at Newcastle, he has now taken up a similar post supporting the Director of the Newcastle University Institute for Ageing in the establishment and development of the new Institute.

As part of the Institute's engagement activity, Graham represents the University on the Partnership Board of Years Ahead (the NE Regional Forum on Ageing), Newcastle City Council's Age Friendly City Project and AdvantAGE Newcastle.

Bethany Ainsley, Founder & Managing Director, ActivCare Coaching

ActivCare Coaching equips professionals and carers working with vulnerable older adults, to effectively improve the wellbeing of people within their care. We are passionate about increasing physical activity to improve the wellbeing of older adults. We do this by training, support and virtual classes for both organisations and individuals alike.

With experience working alongside organisations such as Age UK Teesside, Hartlepool United Community Sports Foundation, Middlesbrough Council and Barchester Health Care, ActivCare Coaching are able to offer a variety of training and services which cover a wide breadth of organisational needs.

Our one-day full accredited training programmes are a cost-effective and efficient way to train staff, whilst our monthly subscription packages enable us to continually support care homes and organisations in a way which is best suited to their needs and budget.

Our passion and 10 years of experience in both exercise and wellbeing is what allows ActivCare Coaches to make a positive impact on the lives, health and happiness of older individuals.

Elizabeth Howe, Therapeutic Musician, Stellar Music

Elizabeth is 66 years old and hoping to continue ageing gracefully. Her background is in both life-sharing communities with vulnerable children and adults, as well as high school physics teaching in California. Elizabeth returned to the UK in 2015 ostensibly to be grandma, but also wanted to continue a new passion of playing live acoustic music (on lyre and Native American flute), at the bedside for people in hospital, hospice or who are housebound. Elizabeth started her business, “Stellar Music” in September 2017, and have found a lot of support from CDCNew Enterprise Agency and Creative Fuse.

Bella Smith, Assistant Learning Curator, Celebrating Age

Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, part of Teesside University, has a civic agenda to connect art, people and ideas to make the world a better place.

We wish to have an influence on society, taking a leading role in addressing current issues within politics, economics and culture. Our programmes encompass urgent themes such as housing, migration, inequality, regeneration and healthcare.

Celebrating Age is a programme of creative engagement with the over 55s. Through it we cultivate new ways of thinking about ageing and work with a range of partners to make Middlesbrough a supportive and positive place to grow older. The project is devised and delivered with a range of collaborators, and key partner Thirteen Group.

The project consists of a series of artful activities with Middlesbrough’s older residents and their carers that tackles isolation and social exclusion. In active sessions we use making, story-telling, music and conversation to share and learn skills as well as to support a sense of belonging.

Celebrating Age takes the ethos and approach of our ongoing dementia friendly programme outside of the museum. By using existing community spaces around the town, we ensure that people are working in environments that they feel are familiar and comfortable. We aim to activate these community spaces, and the resources around them, so that social and creative practices become a sustainable part of people’s lives.

Accessibility:

The Marlborough Suite is located on the ground floor of the International Centre for Life and is disabled accessible.

Getting There:

Life Meetings and Events is situated at the International Centre for Life, a pioneering science village in Newcastle upon Tyne just 200 metres from Newcastle Central Station (Google Maps.). Access is via the main entrance on Central Parkway, just off Neville Street. Central Parkway is a private road which is accessible on foot from Neville Street and Railway Street. If you need to park on site, please get in touch to arrange this before you visit.

On Foot

If approaching from the Newcastle Central Station, turn left onto Central Parkway just before you reach Times Square, and you will find the entrance to Life Meetings and Events halfway down the road on your right.

By Road

Life is situated just a few minutes from the A1(M), linking it conveniently with London and the South, and Edinburgh and the North. The Sat Nav reference for Times Square Car Park is NE1 4AD. The multi-storey carpark provides over 400 secure parking spaces, with additional parking for disabled visitors just metres from our door.

By Rail

Life is located just 200 metres from Newcastle Central Station. The Metro, Tyne and Wear’s light rail system, connects Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, North Tyneside and South Tyneside.

About CAKE:

CAKE (Collaboration and Knowledge Exchange) is Creative Fuse North East's monthly networking event, bringing together businesses, freelancers, academics, charities and creative practitioners from across the Creative, Digital and IT sectors. Each themed CAKE event has expert speakers delivering short presentations that explore opportunities and innovation challenges. The events generate debate, explorative discussion and stimulate new innovative ideas by looking at each event’s theme from a variety of different perspectives – in keeping with the event name, attendees enjoy a slice of delicious cake while they network.

Is this event for you?

Whatever your professional background, this event is designed to support this potential by inspiring new conversations and allowing introductions to take place that will enable collaboration.