How many times in the last few years have we heard statements addressed to the older generation by those who believe that, due to their 'advanced' age, they could not tune in to the needs and reality of the younger generations, and therefore changes were needed?

Time has passed and we ask ourselves, have those who carried the banner of 'we are younger' made a substantial change? We got in touch with a resident who in 2018 became Ottery’s first foreign Deputy Mayor at age 74 and who has been teaching in Adult Education for 42 years and at 78 plans to continue doing so and asked her opinion.

“I sincerely believe that the best people to answer that question are our youngsters. In my specific case those of the King’s School who in 2017 chose me as their Queen of the Political Dating. Those who labelled me, among others, as too old, will be surprised to hear their answer would be: just because they found my ideas about sports, life and future career aspirations, fashion and fitness very interesting, trendy and in keeping with their own needs and beliefs.

“People seem to forget that my generation and that of those who were then my colleagues belong to a group of people who have lived the transitional period between those days in which you had to use your hands to produce what you wanted and the period when computers did it for you. We are a generation where common sense and imagination took precedence over technology and that made us unique and completely different from the generation that followed us and more open to changes.

“Not everything was negative with the arrival of COVID. It made us change the way we communicated with others, kept in touch with family, shop, learn and stay fit. I have seen the benefits in my own students whose average age is 65/70 and who have survived through the evolution of learning from a teacher using a blackboard and chalk to a teacher using Zoom, even better, enjoying it for the challenges it brings when using technology that developed faster than anything ever seen before.

“Ask our youngsters what their grandparents do for entertainment today. Zumba is probably at the top of the list or attending a language course; even more, learning to fly a drone and take pictures with it.

“I have been lucky enough to see this phenomenon unfold and have the opportunity to be part of it. It is fascinating and I think it has contributed to a better understanding and a better relationship between the age groups and young people. Trying to label the older generation useless is not the most positive attitude.

“If you look around Ottery, there is clear evidence that most of the projects, ideas, groups that provide benefits to residents of all ages were started by individuals of retirement age. Among others, the new Library, FOOLS, the Heritage Museum, the Later Life Forum, Strawberry Lane sports facilities, the Skatepark, the Active Life & Active Mind Program, the former Station & Youth Club, the Pixie Day Committee and their beautiful Christmas tree, the former Ottery in Bloom, the Ottery King & Queen of the Mountain, the Bike Fest and the Primary School Mini-Hill Climb. I dare to say that the Life President of our most famous event in town and a councillor made honorary alderman of DCC in 2021, they are past retirement age and definitely they had a vision of what was needed for the future of our younger generation.

“As the new year begins, I would encourage those my age group to be proud of themselves and stay mentally and physically active. Here at Ottery we have the facilities to do both. Don’t miss out on the opportunity these different generations are given to learn from each other. I honestly think there has never been a better time to be a senior”.