The UK's first official Active Ageing Week will take place in Worcester next month when older members of the community will have the chance to take part in a host of activities.
The University of Worcester is the first organisation to officially partner with the International Council on Active Ageing (ICAA) to bring the event to the UK.
Initiated in 2003, the week-long campaign always runs in the last week of September and draws attention to successful ageing within all domains of life - physical, social, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, vocational and environmental. This year's theme is Inspiring Wellness.
This event builds on the University of Worcester's commitment to health and wellbeing, including its inclusive sport and physical activity programme for over 60s.
Dr Clare Rhoden, Principal Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University, said: "We all know that keeping active as we get older is vital, both for our physical and mental health. But sometimes it can be difficult to connect with others or to know what's available. We hope that this special week will celebrate active ageing and will help people across Worcester, and beyond, to discover new ways to stay active, get useful information and generally be inspired."
The Active Ageing Week at the University will take place from Monday, September 24 to Friday, September 28 and will include public talks, workshops and physical activity taster sessions.
Alex Rotas, a retired academic and competitive tennis player, who now helps redefine later life through her inspirational photographs of men and women being active later in life, will give a special talk, titled "Growing old actively".
Alex also speaks and writes about the new narratives of ageing challenging negative media and societal stereotypes of ageing. Her talk, which is free and open to the public, will take place at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday, September 28, at 1.30pm.
There will also be talks from University of Worcester lecturers on "Challenging Loneliness", "Challenging Nutritional Myths", and "Active Leisure and Gender Differences".
There will also be workshops on meditation & mindfulness, balance & coordination, and seniors fitness testing.
As part of Active Ageing week 2018, there is a photo competition open to anyone over 16.
Participants should take a photo to represent what active ageing means to them. The competition aims to showcase the multiple ways Active Ageing may take place in everyday life. Images should inform, engage and intrigue the public and offer a visual perspective on examples of Active Ageing.
The closing date for the competition is September 1. Visit our Active Ageing Week webpage for more information about the competition and all the activities taking place or follow @ActiveAgeingUW on Twitter. You can also email activeageing@worc.ac.uk.
Anyone wishing to attend the Alex Rotas talk should email rsvp@worc.ac.uk.