Get bowled over with the NHS this Older People’s Day

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To mark this year’s Older People’s Day the Wakefield health and wellbeing team in partnership with Age Concern Wakefield is holding a special Boccia tournament for older people at Minsthorpe High School in South Elmsall.

This is the fifth year that UK Older People’s Day has been celebrated with a wide range of local events being held on or around the 1st October.

The theme for this years day is getting and staying active in later life. The purpose of this theme is to encourage people to be active and raise awareness of the benefits that physical, social and mental activity brings.

The health and wellbeing team’s Boccia tournament will take place on Thursday 13th October from 10:00am – 2:00pm and is supported by Wakefield Able 2, Fit as a Fiddle, Big lottery Fund and Generation Xchange.

Boccia is a chair-based team bowling activity for all ages and abilities. The activity helps to improve physical activity, health and wellbeing, and intergenerational work brings people together in a social atmosphere.

Speaking about the tournament service lead Jill Poole said, "This is a great opportunity to show older people how they can stay active even into their later years. Helping people to stay active as you get older provides many benefits, such as helping to maintain independence, is a great way of developing and increasing social networks by getting out and about in the local community and provides the opportunity to learn new skills."

The event is now fully booked but cheerleaders and spectators are welcome to show their support to Older People’s Day 2011.

For more information please contact health and wellbeing development worker Dan Eades on 07881 595819.

More information about Older People’s Day 2011 can be found on the UK Older People’s Day page on Facebook.

Get bowled over with the NHS this Older People’s Day

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