It was Dame Joan Collins who said “Age is just a number. It’s totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine”.

I am sure we have all quoted Dame Joan at some stage in our life and, if you are anything like me, life really did feel like it kick-started again when I turned 60 last year (even though my celebrations were severely curtailed due to Covid).

Hello – I am Trevor Davis. I have worked in marketing in the private sector for 45 years. Now I want to help you make your business more Age & Dementia Friendly to benefit older people, people living with dementia, your community and you!

At Time to Shine we absolutely understand how hard the past year has been for many businesses and the last thing we want to do is make life any harder for you. My role is to encourage businesses – large and small – in Leeds and surrounding areas to become both Age and Dementia Friendly. We want to support you to become more accessible to older people and those who live with dementia who have been shielding for so long, and to be better able to welcome them through your doors.

Over the coming months I will be contacting business owners inviting them to sign up to become ‘Age & Dementia Friendly’. Each business will then receive free publicity on the Time to Shine website and we will promote their involvement on social media. There is also an opportunity to be listed as an Age & Dementia Friendly business with Leeds Directory. We will supply free door/window stickers promoting the fact that yours is an Age & Dementia Friendly business – and one that contributes to making Leeds a place where older people, and people living with dementia, actively participate in the life of the city.

47p of every £1 spent in the UK is spent by someone over 50, so there is a great financial incentive for businesses to be a part of our campaign to build an Age & Dementia Friendly reputation.

Leeds has over 250,000 adults aged 50+, so there is a fantastic opportunity for businesses who demonstrate that they understand the needs of their older customer. By doing so they are more likely to inspire customer loyalty too!

What do older feel about Age & Dementia Friendly businesses? Watch our short video:

Download our free guide to becoming an Age & Dementia Friendly business.

Time to Shine shares Leeds City Council’s ambition for Leeds to become the best city to grow old in – I look forward to helping to deliver that ambition. We want Leeds to be the place where older people feel valued, respected and appreciated, and are seen as the assets that they are.

Please get in touch if you’d like more information about becoming an Age & Dementia Friendly business – I’ll be happy to help.

Trevor Davis
Business Development Worker, Time to Shine
trevor.davis@opforum.org.uk