Roy Hudd opens new Age UK Centre

Roy Hudd opens a new Age UK centre in Peterborough to support older people

Leading entertainer Roy Hudd, who has enjoyed over fifty years as an actor, comedian and author, is opening an exciting new Age UK Centre in Peterborough at 19-25 Westgate on Thursday 7 July at 11.00am.

The launch, hosted by Roy Hudd, will showcase all the fantastic services and products that Age UK and its local partner Age UK Peterborough have to offer older people, their families and carers, to help make later life better for all.

As well as housing the local Age UK shop which sells new and donated items, the organisations' dedicated staff and volunteers will showcase the huge range of ways in which Age UK can help. Free guides on topics from home and care, health and wellbeing, work and learning and getting involved in volunteering will be available from an information hub. Locals can also have ‘one-on-one' consultations with Age UK Peterborough's warm and friendly staff about a wide range of services and products to help people live healthily and happily for longer. Whether it's providing information and advice on local services such as help with cleaning and shopping; encouraging activity through a ‘fit as a fiddle' master class; or helping to find value home, motor and travel insurance - the new Age UK Centre in Peterborough intends to ensure that older people are getting as much out of life as possible.

The Age UK Centre in Peterborough will also stock a wide range of products to help older people feel safe and independent at home which they can trial in-store and arrange free in home assessments for. These include stair-lifts, personal alarms, bathing solutions and daily living aids to assist with everyday tasks like opening a jar and unlocking a door.

The bright and stylish Age UK shop at the front of the Centre will be a great place for people to add to their wardrobe and purchase a wide range of donated and new items, including books and home-ware. Age UK shops, supported by a team of dedicated staff and volunteers, help to generate much needed funds for people in later life whilst encouraging people to recycle their clothes properly.

Hugh Forde, Retail and Trading Director at Age UK, said: 'A lot of hard work and careful consideration has gone into this new Age UK Centre in Peterborough to showcase a wide range of services and products designed with the needs of people in later life in mind. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank local people who have donated stock for our charity shops or their valuable time to volunteer in the Centre. All the profits from the Age UK Centre in Peterborough will go to help those in later life.'

David Bache, Chief Executive at Age UK Peterborough said: 'We are delighted to be able to run some of our frontline services from the Age UK Centre in Peterborough. We're looking forward to working closely with the national charity to provide the best possible services for the older people of Peterborough. We believe that the new Centre will provide the opportunity for us to help even more people in later life to remain living independently at home. If you would like to make a donation or assist with our fundraising work in Peterborough we would be delighted to hear from you.'

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For more information on Age UK, please call Kate Rispin in the Age UK Media Team on 020 3033 1427 or email katie.rispin@ageuk.org.uk. Alternatively, for more information on Age UK Peterborough, please call David Bache on 01733 564 185 or email D.Bache@ageukpeterborough.org.uk.

Notes to editors

Age UK
For media enquiries relating to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland please contact the appropriate national office: Age Scotland on 0131 668 8055, Age Cymru on 029 2043 1562 and Age NI on 028 9024 5729.

Age UK is the new force combining Age Concern and Help the Aged, dedicated to improving later life.

We provide free information, advice and support to over five million people; commercial products and services to over one million customers; and research and campaign on the issues that matter to people in later life. Our work focuses on five key areas: money matters, health and well being, home and care, work and training and leisure and lifestyle. We work with our national partners, Age Scotland, Age Cymru and Age NI (together the Age UK Family), our local Age UK partners in England and local Age Concerns. We also work internationally for people in later life as a member of the DEC and with our sister charity Help Age International.

Age UK is a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England (registered charity number 1128267 and company number 6825798). Age Concern England and Help the Aged (both registered charities), and their trading and other associated companies merged on the 1st April 2009. Together they have formed the Age UK Group ("we").  Charitable services are offered through Age UK and commercial products are offered by the Charity's trading companies, which donate their net profits to Age UK (the Charity). 

Age UK Peterborough is a local charity working with and for older people in the Peterborough area (registered charity number 1080030). Age UK Peterborough is at The Lindens, 86 Lincoln Road, Peterborough, PE1 2SN.

Roy Hudd

A famous face in showbiz for over fifty years, Roy Hudd is a natural comedy entertainer, a talented actor, playwright, sketch-writer, and performer. He broke into TV appearing on Not So Much A Programme, More A Way of Life, but found wider fame with 1969's The Roy Hudd Show.

Since 1975 The News Huddlines has had an amazing run on Radio 2, and is something of an institution.

Roy's work as a dramatic actor in television has also won him praise. Dennis Potter's Lipstick on your Collar proved a huge success. This led to his most endearing dramatic role, again written for him by Potter, that of Spoonerism-afflicted Ben Baglin in Karaoke.

Roy was recently seen as Archie Shuttleworth in Coronation Street.

Media contact:  Katie Rispin
Telephone: 020 3033 1427
Out-of-office-hours: 07071 243 243