September 2015 opening doors london events listings

Lido lidolondon

2015 Opening Doors London September groups and activities

Signposting and Information Service If you need help in the home, or you are confused about tax, have questions about your pension, benefits or housing: Contact the team at odlsignposting@ageukcamden.org.uk or, call the ODL Signposting and Information phone line: 07961 937 621.

We will get back to you to discuss your issue further within one working week.

In this September Issue - Look out for: 

8th Sept: Leah Thorn Poetry workshop

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Wed 16th Sept: Try out the NEW VENUE for the Men’s Group Pub Social at Halfway To Heaven

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Movies o Steaming: Thurs 17th o MILK: Tues 20th o GIANT: Tues 29th

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20th Sept: Mixed Outings In Art

Opening Doors London: www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk

For information about groups and activities please contact us on: 020 7239 0400 or ODL.Info@ageukcamden.org.uk twitter.com/OpeningDoorsLdn

facebook.com/openingdoorslondon

ODL Signposting and Information Leave a message on 07961 937 621 odlsignposting@ageukcamden.org.uk

Opening Doors London: full listings and activities.

Saturday 29th August

Kent Pride will return to Margate along the seafront this year. The organisers have planned a line-up of acts and live music. More info at: http://www.kentpride2015.co m/ Travel: Frequent high speed trains leave from London’s St Pancras or Stratford International to Margate take around 90 minutes.

Alternative Train routes available from London Victoria.

Tuesday 1st SEPTEMBER ODL Quarterly Group Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA. Interested in writing and putting together our ODL Q magazine? Put your enthusiasm to work and learn on the go. We need writers, editors, and illustrators. Help make your magazine look exciting and engaging. http://openingdoorslondon.or g.uk/newsletter/ Drop in or email us at: odl.quarterly@ageukcamden.o rg.uk 6pm – 8pm Wednesday 2nd Anchor Housing/ODL Mixed

Art Group Chigwell Court, 99 Balance Road London E9 5SQ. The art group will be held in the communal room. Basic materials will be provided for the informal drop-in session.

Volunteer artists on hand.

2pm-4pm

Sept ‘15

GROUPS Friday 4th

PLEASE NOTE: The Men’s Pimlico Social will happen on Wednesday 9th September this month.

Mixed Friday coffee & cake club Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA. Come in for a chat and cake at this peer led social group. Hot drinks can be purchased in the café. Please feel free to bring your own cakes.

Every Friday 10am – 12pm

Thursday 3rd

Monday 7th

‘Rainbow Surfers’ older LGBT* computer drop-in Computer Suite, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA. Our LGBT* friendly drop-in session provides you with an opportunity to receive IT assistance and guidance from knowledgeable volunteers and staff. For more information please contact Tony on 0207 239 0400.

Every Thursday 10am – 1pm

Mixed Tower Hamlets ODL East Drop-in Positive East, 159 Mile End Rd, London E1 4AQ. Come and join our friendly East London afternoon social.

We will include ‘A Voice For Older People’ as a regular slot in the last half hour of our drop-ins. This is an opportunity to give your views on services in Tower Hamlets, whether you live, work, or socialise in the borough and this will be fed back to the Older People’s Reference Group.

Call Nic Humberstone on 07538 392 104 or email: Nicola.Humberstone@ageukca mden.org.uk Drop in any time between 4pm – 6pm

Men’s “Older, Gay & Positive” Group Tavis A&B Meeting Room, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA. This month the group will be games night. We’ll bring Jenga and playing cards. Please bring in your games too if you’d like.

As ever, there will be the chance to chat at this support and social group for LGBT* men who are living with HIV. 6pm – 8pm Mixed Newham Dinner Club CANCELLED AS ATTENDEES HAVE MOVED TO OTHER

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Mixed Group Barnet Diners’ Club and Games meeting in partnership with Age UK Barnet.

The Red Lion, High Street, Barnet, EN5 5UW. Come along to this friendly group for a drink or meal.

Excellent Carvery or Vegetarian options (with lots of vegetables) £6.

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Opening Doors London: full listings and activities. http://www.tobycarvery.co.uk /theredlionbarnet/carvery/ Tube: High Barnet.

Buses: 107, 234, 263, 307, 326, 384. Pub car park (parking ticket price refunded with meal purchase).

7pm – 9pm Tuesday 8th Women’s Leah Thorn Poetry Workshop Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA Older Women Rock! A poetry workshop for women with Leah Thorn. Leah says “I am a poet, writing for performance and film.

-I hope our poetry will celebrate our strength and resilience and our contribution to social change over the decades - challenge the many ways we are made invisible - subvert society’s assumptions and prejudices about us as ‘early old age’ women.”

No previous experience of writing poetry is necessary.

If you are interested in hearing more please contact Leah on leah@leahthorn.com or 01303 488711 4.45pm – 7pm Men’s Group Walk

Despite the fame of its name,

Fleet Street has been described as "the most maligned and libelled stretch of pavement in the world". For our September walk, we are going to be walking along it but discovering some of the secret alleyways, remarkable churches, hidden corners and astonishing green spaces that lie behind it. This is an area in constant change and no two visits are ever the same. As its most famous resident once said of a man who was tired of it, "he is tired of life", because in this small area of London "there is ... all that life can afford". Delve into Fleet Street and encounter Dr Johnson's cat, a winged stallion, a lamb and the original design for wedding cakes as well as the story of the centre of the newspaper world.

If you would like to join the walk you can either: Text or leave a message on: 07804 329 416.

Email:odwalksgroup@gmail.c om We need your full name and the name of any other Opening Doors member coming with you. Alan [Geoff’s partner] will then confirm meeting point details. There is room for up to 24 people; if you would like to participate please book.

These walks are proving popular so if you find yourself unable to come along, having booked, kindly let us know so that your place can be offered to someone else.

2.15pm for 2.30pm start.

Walk from 2.30pm – 4.30pm

www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk

Sept ‘15

Men’s Group Speaker Night Henderson Court Resource Centre, 102 Fitzjohn’s Ave, London NW3 6NS (entrance on Prince Arthur Rd).

“I hope I get old before I die”.

Tonight’s speaker will be John Miles, a gerontologist and community development worker, who recently completed a PhD on Manchester’s intergenerational initiative and once worked for Camden Council on its Quality of Life Strategy for Older Citizens. In May earlier this year he contributed to a number of discussions as part of Camden’s Intergenerational Week. John would like to explore with us his belief that people’s continuing reluctance to ‘grow old’ contributes to the inadequate standard of social care in Britain, the weakness of campaigning around it, and the failures of government to fund it adequately and invest in its staffing and organisation.

Social 6pm – 7pm.

Talk from 7pm. (After the talk some members also head to a local pub for a drink.)

Wednesday 9th Mixed Exercise Walking: 1st Walk - A visit to Queen Elizabeth 1st Hunting Lodge with an onward walk through the forest, past Warren Pond, along River Ching to Chingford Hatch.

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Opening Doors London: full listings and activities.

Join Clive for a 4-5 mile walk to Chingford Plain, Queen Elizabeth 1st Hunting Lodge, The Butlers Retreat, Warren Pond and Wood. This walk will be enjoyable for people of varying abilities. The Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge can be reached via Rangers Road, and the Butlers Retreat is alongside for Tagines or coffee and cake, etc. if you’d like a shorter walk, you can simply return to the station via Rangers Road. Others can continue through the forest to Chingford Hatch. Bus routes available along the way.

Meeting point: Chingford Mainline (Station Lobby) Meet: 10.45am Walk starts: 11am prompt.

Lunch: Butlers Retreat by midday. Bring packed lunch or money for the (limited) menu available.

Walk ends: 3.30pm (approx.)

End point: Return to the station via Rangers Road or continue 30 mins further on to Whitehall Road or 1hr to Chingford Hatch.

Intergenerational Feminist Reading Group PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATE TO 2nd WEDNESDAY of EACH MONTH Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA An informal space for discussion of feminist ideas &

texts with the aim of encouraging a dialogue between different generations of feminist thinkers, activists and supporters. We will be looking at: (Male) Culture, the eighth chapter of Shulamith Firestone’s ‘The Dialectic of Sex’. Copies of the text will be available at the group.

However, the text is simply a springboard for discussion and our own live experience will be the main focus of the group.

So it is not essential to read the text beforehand and if you want to come along for interesting discussion that is absolutely fine too. 6pm – 7.30pm Men’s Pimlico Social Pimlico Room, back of St. Saviour’s Church, St George’s Square, London SW1V 3QW. Friendly drop-in coffee evening. 6pm – 9pm Thursday 10th ‘Rainbow Surfers’ older LGBT* computer drop-in See Thursday 3rd for more details.

Every Thursday 10am – 1pm Friday 11th Mixed Friday coffee & cake club See Friday 4th for more details.

Every Friday 10am – 12noon Mixed ODL East Dinner Club Positive East, 159 Mile End, Road, London E1 4AQ. £6 for a delicious meal and great company. Pre-booking is

www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk

Sept ‘15

essential, please email: Nicola.Humberstone@ageukca mden.org.uk or call/ text Nic on 07538 392 104 stating your name and contact number by Monday 7th.

Drinks: 6pm Dinner: from 6.30pm Ends: 9:30pm Outings in Theatre: “Outbox Theatre present... Hookup”

Hackney Showroom, Amhurst Terrace, London E8 2BT LGBT* theatre company Outbox bring to life a wonderland of camp and catwalks from a collection of inter-generational stories.

Amidst the glitter, smoke & mirror balls, hookup takes a frank and intimate look at the fears and thrills of discovering sex and sustaining your sexuality across the decades.

Outbox interviewed many members of ODL for this exciting project.

Booking: You will need to book your tickets directly from the theatre on http://www.hackneyshowroo m.com/outbox/ or 0203 095 9747.

Cost: ODL members will get a 50% discount on tickets so they will cost £4 plus booking fees. Enter the code 'OUTBOX' in capital letters on the website in the ‘Apply Code’ Page 3

Opening Doors London: full listings and activities. box or quote over the phone.

(This discount is available on every night.)

Meeting time: 6.30pm. Please find Liam in an ODL T-shirt at the bar.

Play starts: 7.30pm. The play lasts 80 mins approx. and will be followed by a Q&A. Travel: Rectory Road overland train station (10 minutes from Liverpool Street) is 0.3 miles walk from the theatre. Dalston Kingsland and Dalston Junction overland stations are less than a mile walk from the theatre.

Free parking available on nearby streets after 6.30pm.

Sunday 13th Mixed ‘Second Sundays’ Social Group Chelsea Theatre, 7 Worlds End Place, Kings Road, London SW10 ODR.

Come and join our friendly bunch for a delicious light lunch, £4 per person. This month we'll be watching clips of Panti Bliss, drag queen and gay rights activist, and discuss some of the issues she raises around homophobia.

Members will need to RSVP to Fiona by Friday 11th on fiona.addison@ageukcamden. org.uk or call 07435 356 951.

12.30pm – 3.30pm Monday 14th

Mixed Tea Line Dance Tavis House Café, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, WC1H 9NA. Join us for the second of our tea dances whether you are an experienced dancer, a beginner or have never danced before – there is room for all!

Peter will instruct and lead us in Line Dancing. Drinks and snacks will be provided but please feel free to bring your own to share along with your dancing shoes. For further details contact Kate kate.hancock@ageukcamden.o rg.uk or 020 7239 0447 5:30pm-7:30pm Wednesday 16th Barnet Roving Lunch Club The Red Lion, High Street, Barnet, EN5 5UW Each month this lunch club will try a new venue and sample the different cuisines available in North London’s largest borough.

This month’s venue is the excellent Toby Carvery, with both Carvery or vegetarian £5.99

http://www.tobycarvery.co.uk /restaurants/east-ofengland/theredlionbarnet For more information please contact Fiona: 07949 054 806 Tube: High Barnet.

www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk

Sept ‘15

Buses: 107, 234, 263, 307, 326, 384.

Free parking at Pub with meal purchase.

12.30pm – 2.30pm Mixed ODL Ealing/ West London Social and Support Group run in partnership with Age UK Ealing & Outwest.

ECIL (Ealing Centre for Independent Living Management Centre), 1 Bayham Road, West Ealing, London W13 0TQ (5 minutes walk from the previous venue The Lido Centre.)

All welcome. Refreshments served. For more details please contact: Derek.Freeman@ageukcamde n.org.uk 2.30pm – 4.30pm Anchor Housing/ODL Mixed Art Group (see Wednesday 2nd September for more info).

NEW VENUE Men’s Group Pub Social Halfway To Heaven, 7 Duncannon Street, London WC2N 4JF

Come along to Halfway To Heaven this month and let us know if you’d like this to be our new monthly meeting spot. Come along for a chat over drinks.

7pm – late ODL Quarterly Group Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Page 4

Opening Doors London: full listings and activities.

Square, London WC1H 9NA. (see Tuesday 1st September for info) Thursday 17th Women’s Walking & Herstory The photography of Christina Bloom: Soldiers and Suffragettes.

This is the current exhibition at The Docklands Museum and then go to Canary Wharf to see the new Roof Garden.

Meet at: DLR station West India Quay Meet Time: 11am.

‘Rainbow Surfers’ older LGBT* computer drop-in See Thursday 3rd for more details.

Every Thursday 10am – 1pm Women’s Film Night G24 Common Room. UCL Foster Court, Malet Place, London

regularly in a steam room and decide to fight its closure.

HOW TO GET THERE: Come into UCL from the entrance opposite Waterstones on Torrington Place. Foster Court is on the right and half way along there is an archway also on the right, with a set of automatic double doors on the right - the Common Room is through those doors and up 3 stairs but also has step-free access.

PLEASE NOTE: Women’s Film Night is now on 3rd Thursday of each month so that we don’t clash with Haringey Independent Cinema.

Social: 5.30pm Film: 7pm -9pm

rights and became California's first openly gay elected official.

Director: Gus Van Sant Stars: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin.

Lunch available for £5.This month’s lunch will be Lamb chops and veg or a vegetarian or a fish option: please advise when booking. Booking for lunch essential, please call Chryssy on 020 7239 0400, before Friday 18th Sept.

Social from 12pm Lunch from 1.00pm Film at 2pm Mixed Outings in Art at: The British Museum Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG

Friday 18th Mixed Friday coffee & cake club See Friday 4th for more details.

Every Friday 10am – 12noon Sunday 20th

This month’s film is: STEAMING Director: Joseph Losey Starring: Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles, Diana Dors Released in 1985, the film was adapted from Nell Dunn's play

by Patricia Losey and Nell Dunn. It was also the last film of Diana Dors, who died in 1984..[1]The story centres on three women who meet

Sept ‘15

Sunday Lunch & Film Club Henderson Court Resource Centre, 102 Fitzjohn’s Ave, London NW3 6NS (entrance on Prince Arthur Road).

This month’s film is: MILK

“Celts: art and identity” at the British Museum. We have an allocation of 15 tickets.

Meet at: 1.45 pm Meeting Point: The Great Court Entry free but booking is essential. To book please text Chris on 07958 257 541.

Nearest tube: Holborn/Russell Square/Tottenham Court Rd Buses: 98 (directly outside) Other routes: 1, 7, 8, 19, 25, 38, 55, 242. www.britishmuseum.org Monday 21st

The story of Harvey Milk, and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay

www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk

Bi Visibility Group Woburn Room, Tavis House, 1Page 5

Opening Doors London: full listings and activities.

6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA Celebrating International Bi Visibility Day, Louise Carolin from Diva Magazine has agreed to talk to us about bi visibility in the women's press and how we can help improve it. We have extended a warm invitation to Gay Times as well, to speak about bi visibility in the men's press and what we can do to improve it there too.

We are planning to "bring and share" food with the questions "Do you like savoury?", "Do you like sweet?", or "Do you like BOTH?" No need to book.

4pm – 8pm Tuesday 22nd NEW EVENT Inaugural meeting: Coffee Cake and Kisses’ 54 Warren Street, London W1T 5NN We are joining forces with Coffee Cake and Kisses and holding a monthly group in this warm and welcoming central London venue. We have discussed ideas of what we could do in the space, including cooking together or having speakers whilst supporting the CCK ethos of community building. We would welcome people’s ideas and contributions as to what we could offer. Please come for a chat to share your ideas.

6pm – 8pm

Thursday 24th ‘Rainbow Surfers’ older LGBT* computer drop-in See Thursday 3rd for more details.

10am – 1pm Mixed Islington Older LGBT* Drop-in London Friend, 86 Caledonian Road, N1 9DN. In partnership with London Friend, this social group is a place to meet friends for a coffee, chat and optional board games!

2pm – 4pm LGBT* Death Café Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA. Nigel Dodds from Saint Joseph’s Hospice will facilitate the group. Gather over tea and cake to talk about death and dying in an informal and relaxed environment. For further information contact n.dodds@stjh.org.uk or phone Kate 020 7239 0447 PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF TIME 6pm – 7pm Friday 25th Mixed Friday coffee & cake club See Friday 4th for more details. Every Friday 10am – 12 Informal Art Group Tavis House 1-6 Tavistock Square, WC1H 9NA Join Angie for an informal art group for all abilities - come and do your own creative thing, or improve and expand your drawing skills with gentle

www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk

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guidance from an experienced volunteer teacher. Whether you are a traditional sketcher or an outrageous Avant Gardist, this group will supply encouragement, support, plenty of dialogue and maybe an exhibition. Basic materials provided, but feel free to bring your own sketchbooks and non-messy kit. 12.30pm – 3pm Saturday 26th Mixed Outing to Small Wonder at Charleston.

Charleston was the home and country meeting place of the Bloomsbury group. The interior was painted by the artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, and with their collection forms a unique example of their decorative style . Tours are available of the house.

The Small Wonder Short Story Festival will be taking place and if you would like to see any of the talks you need to book tickets individually for those. See more at: http://www.charleston.org.uk or phone 01323 811626 Meet at the ticket office at Victoria Station at 10:15am to get the 10:46 train to Lewes.

You will need to buy your own train tickets either in advance or on the day. This will give us an hour to wander around Lewes before we take the 1:00pm shuttle bus to Charleston. For more information Contact Kate 020 7239 0400 or kate.hancock@ageukcamden. org.uk Page 6

Opening Doors London: full listings and activities.

Mixed Coffee Evening Meeting at Tufnell Park Tube station at 7.45 p.m. Mike will be hosting the coffee evening.

Please remember to bring cakes with you. Phone 07581 647 344 for more details.

Tufnell Park Station is closed for 9 months. Can still meet at the Station if need be. Buses 4, 134 and 390 all pass by the Station.

7.45pm – 10pm Tuesday 29th Men’s Film Night: Henderson Court Resource Centre, 102 Fitzjohn’s Ave, London NW3 6NS. (Entrance on Prince Arthur Road).

Giant (1956) 201 minutes.

Sprawling epic covering the life of a Texas cattle rancher and his family and associates.

Director: George Stevens Stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean Social: 6pm Film starts: 7pm Wednesday 30th Mixed Exercise Walking: 2nd Walk – Autumn Forest Acorn Walk.

Join Clive for a 4-5 mile walk to Epping Forest. We will pass Eagle Pond and the historic

orphanage which is now Snaresbrook Crown Court.

Onwards through Epping Forest itself, we pass across the Hollow Ponds enjoying open vistas to “The Forest Diner” tea hut to eat our packed lunch, or buy chips etc.

Then across open grassland to Hollybush Hill. We can either, return to Snaresbrook Station or continue on to enjoy Wanstead High Street, where there are numerous refreshment options available, and finish at Wanstead Station.

Please note: there are not many toilet stops along this route.

Meeting point: Snaresbrook Station (just outside Lobby) Meet: 10.45am Walk starts: 11am prompt.

Lunch: Forest Diner for packed lunch, hot drinks and chips etc.

Walk ends: 3.30pm (approx.)

End point: Snaresbrook Central Line (Epping Branch) or later at Wanstead (Hainault Branch).

FUTURE DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Thursday 15th October ODL Annual Information Fair: ‘Planning Ahead’ Tavis House. 1-6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA. Information stalls, workshops and more.

2pm – 6.30pm

Sept ‘15

Mixed Outings in Theatre Above the Stag Theatre, Arch 17, Miles Street, Vauxhall, London SW8 1RZ. (Close to Vauxhall bus, tube and rail stations.)

Tinderella: Cinders Slips it in Above The Stag Theatre’s award-wining pantomimes are the must-see, magical show of the season, bursting with laughs, songs, spectacle and all the traditional Panto tomfoolery. “Once upon a time, a slave boy called Cinders lived with his murderous stepmother and her daughters in a little landlocked kingdom.

This kingdom boasted a prince whose balls were the envy of the world. Indeed, there was no happier sight in all the kingdom than the prince’s balls in full swing.”

To book tickets directly with the theatre visit http://www.abovethestag.com /shows/ and scroll down to the find the event on this time and date. You can also book tickets on 020 7381 4187, although the line isn’t always staffed. £12 Meet in theatre bar at 1pm Matinee show starts at 2pm

Sunday 29th November

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