NEW OPENING
A GAME OF TWO HALVES “W
e see The Second Half
Kate Cracknell pays a visit to the Second Half
Centre as a 21st century solution to the 21st century problem of an ageing population,” says its founder and chair Jill Shaw Ruddock, outlining its goal of improving the quality of people’s older years for the benefit of both individuals and society. “This isn’t a political issue – it’s cross- party politics. With population trends as they are, and the impact on society and the NHS, sustainable solutions have to be found. “It’s all about changing the healthcare
model to focus on proactive, preventative care – we can’t afford to have an NHS that doesn’t do this.”
Five a Day Although understated when you first arrive, located down a corridor within the attractive old buildings of the NHS St Charles Centre for Health and Wellbeing in west London, as with so many of these projects it’s the attitude rather than the bricks and mortar that counts. And at The Second Half Centre, there’s a positive, ‘can-do’ attitude that’s driven from the top by its founder. “Our target audience deserves
respect,” explains the receptionist while I wait to meet Shaw Ruddock. “We don’t want to be like a community centre. We run The Second Half Centre like a business – bright, professional and to the highest standards.” The 316sq m (3,400sq ft) centre is
bright, cosy and welcoming, with lots of natural light and a vibrant green and purple colour scheme. Along a short hallway from reception is a bookshelf- lined welcome area – the lending library – with a kitchen/café beyond, a quiet zone, a handful of rooms in
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Centre in London, UK, and speaks to its founder about her unique approach to successful ageing
Isolation is what makes people ill, and it’s the greatest problem facing older people these days.” Indeed, SAGA estimates
that more than 60 per cent of people over the age of 70 experience intense loneliness; they are more prone to a range of illnesses, from poor mental health to heart disease, as a result.
Jill Shaw Ruddock (third from left) at the opening of the centre
which classes are held, and a larger studio at the end that can be used for anything from group exercise to art classes. The centre also has the use of a large allotment area in a courtyard overlooked by the studio. Meanwhile posters at the entrance introduce The Second Half philosophy.
“This is what old looks like,” says one – illustrated by photos of Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, George Clooney, Nelson Mandela, Helen Mirren, Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton… The Second Half Centre, it continues, is a place to discover the best half of your life. So how does the centre go about
helping people achieve this? Shaw Ruddock explains the background to the project: “I wrote a book, The Second Half of Your Life, which was published in February 2011 and which outlined my philosophy on ageing. That philosophy is based on what I call ‘Five a Day’ – the fi ve things you have to do every day to ensure you age successfully. “Firstly you need to have a passion.
You also need a purpose greater than yourself. You need to exercise. You need to eat well, with good nutrition. And you need to stay connected to family and friends, because isolation changes your whole brain structure.
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“Everyone suffers from social isolation at some point in their life, whether that’s down to the whims of popularity at school or after having your fi rst child
and trying to adapt,” says Shaw Ruddock.
“But I’ve seen what it does to older people and I wanted to do something about it. It’s a very widespread problem, but I don’t believe it’s hard to fi x.”
Tackling isolation Having written her book, Shaw Ruddock then set up a charity – The Second Half of Your Life Foundation, approved by the Charities Commission in May 2011
– to bring Five a Day to life. The next step was to find a venue in which her positive ageing philosophy could be brought to the public. She continues: “In repositioning itself
from a hospital to a centre for health and wellbeing, St Charles wanted to become a hub of the neighbourhood
– somewhere people would go when they were well, not just when they were ill. But it didn’t really know how to go about this – how to overcome preconceptions and bring new people in to see what was on offer. “It had some under-performing space
which we agreed to rent from them in May 2012, and North West London PCT funded the renovation. On an ongoing basis, however, our funding comes primarily through trusts, foundations and mostly individual philanthropy.”
May 2013 © Cybertrek 2013
PHOTO: RICHARD YOUNG / REX FEATURES
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