A charity in south east London is providing free drama sessions for older adults living in sheltered housing in an effort to reduce loneliness.
London Bubble Theatre holds its Tea Break Theatre sessions throughout the week in the lounges of sheltered housing and at its headquarters in Southwark.
The classes, which are for people aged 55 and over, begin with the participants having a conversation over tea and biscuits before moving on to drama games and developing their acting skills.
London Bubble also has an older adults theatre company which performs to the public and in the social spaces of sheltered housing units.
Its most recent show ‘Beneath the Papers’ was created entirely by the cast and is about a retired racing driver called Archie who goes on a search for his missing wife.
Sheltered housing, also known as retirement housing, is a type of accommodation for older adults who want to live independently but feel they might need extra support.
Unlike in a care home residents do not receive personal care packages, but they have access to support staff and can call for emergency help.
According to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, there were more than 400, 000 people living in sheltered housing in England in the year 2020-2021
The main aim of London Bubble’s Tea Break Theatre sessions is to reduce loneliness among older adults.
Data from Age UK shows that 1.4 million older people in the UK are often lonely.
Find out more about London Bubble’s older adults programme by watching the video below.
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