Older people in Bristol are given the opportunity to meet at the Beacon to share their memories on music.
Bristol Older People’s Forum organised an event called “My music, my memories and me!”, in which local Bristolians from the age of fifty-five and over can meet in workshops and discuss their music memories.
Conversations include favourite songs and records, as well as stories about live gigs and much more.
Ian Quaife, the Bristol Older People’s Forum’s Engagement and Development Manager, said that the project started online during the Covid-19 pandemic and seeing the wide participation, has decided to join forces with Bristol Beacon to bring the event into a physical space.
The workshop, says Quaife, wants to avoid the stereotype of older people only talking about “the good ol’ days” by incorporating modern music styles and songs into the conversation as “It’s good to talk about the past, it’s very enjoyable and it’s a nice discussion, but also link that up to where people are at now”.
Some of the stories touched during past meetings included Elvis Presley’s outstanding performance of Unchained melody at his last concert in Rapid City in 1977, and a rare live version of David Bowie’s Jean Genie from 1972 which was long lost only to be re-discovered years later in someone’s attic.
The charity also focuses on giving value to older people in our society, fighting ageism, as often these are stereotyped as “plucky pensioners”, but they “need to be involved in projects” and decision-making. This is what this event is doing: “older people decide what the format of the music club is.”
The event, which is free of charge to participate, has taken place every Friday at 1.30pm and is coming to an end today, before it will start again in February 2025.
