THE Great Exhibition of the North has arrived in Barnard Castle in the form of a thought-provoking display and series of talks.
Age Does Not Define Us is a collaborative exhibition from the National Innovation Centre for Ageing and The Age of No Retirement.
It is currently on show at The Witham and runs until October 6.
In additional to the exhibition, three seminars have been organised to run alongside.
The first, on Thursday, September 13, is titled Why older people are the future of business and will be led by psychologist and entrepreneur Dr Barrie Hopson.
Photographer Joshua T Gibbons hosts the second, on Thursday, September 20, entitled Intergenerational dialogue through art.
George Lee, co-founder of The Age of No Retirement, presents the final seminar on Wednesday, September 26, on Shattering the stereotypes of ageing.
All seminars are being held at The Witham between 11.30am and 12.30pm. Admission is by donation, with a suggested minimum of £2.
Professor Patrick Bonnett, of the National Innovation Centre for Ageing, said: “Barnard Castle and Teesdale have a population which is ageing at a significantly higher rate than national and regional trends.
“Rurality, ageing and isolation often go hand in hand. However, as a society we are starting to realise the potential of this new age – an age where opportunities are vast and we are no longer bound by how old we are.
“The Witham serves an ageing population in a rurally isolated location and has an excellent track record of instigating projects and running activities that challenge existing stereotypes of what it is to be old.”
He added: “We are delighted to be holding this exhibition as part of the Great Exhibition of the North’s ‘Inspired By’ Programme.
“We are also grateful to GSK Barnard Castle for their support and promotion of the exhibition alongside their own Learning and Innovation Festival.”
