Recalling the past and sharing memories is often thought of as a pleasant, but not particularly useful or remarkable, pastime.
However, research shows that revisiting and sharing personal recollections with others can improve mood, reduce feelings of loneliness, and strengthen a person’s sense of identity and self-worth.
The topic of a Hornsey Pensioners Action Group (HPAG) meeting earlier this year was sharing stories of how members came to live in Crouch End.
Four speakers introduced the theme with their own personal reminiscences.
The first was born in Hornsey in 1955, with the other three arriving as adults in the 1960s and 1970s.
As the floor was opened up to others for contributions, the memories were flowing, and Crouch End in the 60s and 70s was vividly brought to life – The Queens pub; The Railway Tavern patronised by Hornsey Journal and BT staff; the Bird’s Nest nightclub in Muswell Hill; the department store Wilsons; and the pantomimes, plays and concert parties at the Hornsey Town Hall.
One member in his 90s recalled his time as a swimming instructor at Park Road pool, and another told us how he came to the area to work at the Hornsey College of Art a year after the famous ‘sit in’.
There was a lot of discussion about the places people lived, with most agreeing that Hornsey was full of bedsitters in the 60s and 70s, and it was easy and cheap to find somewhere to live.
Discussions about shared experiences like this are a natural and important part of maintaining, or even increasing, the wellbeing of older adults.
As we grow older, we move on from the roles and responsibilities that once defined us - parents, wage earners, active community members, etc - and can lose touch with those past experiences that were so much a part of our lives.
Talking about your past can bring those experiences back to life for yourself and let others know what it was like for you to make your way in the world during the decades you lived through.
Thanks to everyone at that meeting for their courage and generosity in sharing their personal stories.
For further information see: hornseypensionersactiongroup.org; email: HornseyPensioners.AG@outlook.com; or contact Ann Anderson on 07757 634405.
- Susan Critchlow is a member of Hornsey Pensioners Action Group (HPAG).
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