Chris Bird, aged 71, has lived in Buckinghamshire for “sixty-odd years”. Having moved to the county in the early-60s, he hasn’t once considered leaving. “It’s central to everything, and it’s a beautiful area,” Chris says. Living surrounded by the rolling Chiltern Hills, it isn’t hard to see why someone would want to spend their life in Buckinghamshire.
Over the years, Chris put down his roots in Buckinghamshire, having three children who have gone on to be everything from builders to writers: “I’m very proud of the way they’ve grown up.” Chris worked in construction, even starting a business, Chiltern Construction Ltd, before retiring a few years ago. He describes his retirement as “a change of life.”
However, while Chris is enjoying his retirement, he is a little worried about how ageing might create barriers to thoroughly enjoying his retirement. “You will have your holidays, your hobbies and, hopefully, [being retired] will give you more time to do those, but if your health goes, it counteracts the time you’ve got because it takes longer to do it.”
Then, how does one age well? Chris thinks he’s cracked the secret. “Socialising is important. Keeping yourself fit is important. And eating well.” He also spoke about creativity and hobbies. Chris keeps himself busy with renovation jobs around the house, walking his dog, Rory, to the pub and frequent trips to the coast. “People have their own things. Some people have allotments; some people do painting; some people do renovation on cars.”
Moving Waves has teamed up with Buckinghamshire Council to discover just that with their new project: The Art of Ageing Well.
The Art of Ageing Well aims to connect local groups with professional creatives to help them understand what it means to age well through FREE photography, storytelling and poetry workshops.
Capturing Life in Buckinghamshire is the first of the three workshops. Facilitated by filmmaker Jame McNaught, the photography workshop focuses on capturing the barriers and benefits of ageing well in Buckinghamshire. This workshop will encourage participants to bring their own smartphones and cameras to become better equipped to use their own technology to capture life in Buckinghamshire, with the option of polaroid cameras for those yet to take the technological plunge.
Sharing Life Stories is the second workshop, facilitated by director Chloe Catin. This storytelling workshop allows people in Buckinghamshire to share their hopes and dreams of ageing well in the county. Focusing on the future, participants will be encouraged to connect with fellow Buckinghamshire residents to share what they hope ageing well in the county will look like.
Poems for Change is the final workshop facilitated by playwright and screenwriter Hannah Kennedy. During this poetry workshop, Buckinghamshire residents will write a poem focusing on their experiences of ageing well in Buckinghamshire together. Using stimuli such as images and music, participants will leave the workshop having completed a poem that speaks to their thoughts and feelings around living in Buckinghamshire that will hopefully spark conversations to change perceptions of ageing.
Workshops will run from the end of October into early November with groups all over the county. However, only a handful of spaces are left, so if you are part of a local group (whether a weekly knit and natter or a monthly walking group), Moving Waves would love to hear from you.
Workshops are free, and your words could be used in a final film created by our professional creatives to help shed light and awareness on barriers, misconceptions, hopes and tips on ageing well in Buckinghamshire.
Contact us by giving us an email here, following our social media here or checking out our website and The Art of Ageing Well!
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