Rainbow Retirement Day: Later Life Planning for the LGBTQ+ Community

Age UK Richmond has organised the Rainbow Retirement Day in partnership with the Landmark Arts Centre. We warmly invite the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer community to attend this free event. The purpose of the event is to help you plan for later life. Lasting Power of Attorney and Wills are especially important for same-sex couples and chosen families. Sadly, older LGBTQ+ people may not have the legal right to make decisions for beloved life partners in their final days. Solicitors will give talks and advice over Q&A sessions on these topics. There will also be a presentation on Queer History, reflecting on how far we have come. The Rainbow Retirement Day will also get attendees thinking about choosing an LGBTQ+ friendly care home. Heartbreakingly, the older generation can be forced back into the closet in care home settings, for fear of neglect or even abuse. Our hope is that older LGBTQ+ people can live happy, safe authentic lives, right until the very end of the rainbow.

Order of the Day 

11am Registration and coffee

11.15 am Talk #1 and Q&A: Wills with Sophie Conrad Jones and Yolanda Mapes from Parsonage & Co Solicitors

12.00 Break

12.15 Talk #2 and Q&A: Queer History with Roland Chesters from the Queer Museum

1.00 Break (soup and light refreshments available to buy from Landmark Art Centre cafe)

2pm: Talk #3 and Q&A: Lasting Power of Attorney with Nigel George from Garner Hancock Solicitors

2.45 Break

3pm Talk #4 and Q&A: Choosing an LGBTQ+ Friendly Care Home with Clare Truscott and Ted Brown from the Not Going in the Care Closet Campaign

3.45 Close of event

During the breaks, please visit the stands hosted by charities and collect some literature to take away with you. We also invite you to join in with the communal creative project making a visual, interactive timeline and vision board that spans Queer History (Past), Present Experiences, and Future Hopes related to aging, safety, and LGBTQ+ identity. It’s part tribute, part storytelling, and part future-planning — we welcome your voice.

Speakers

·       Wills with Sophie Conrad Jones and Yolanda Mapes from Parsonage & Co Solicitors

·       Queer History with Roland Chesters from the Queer Museum.

·       Lasting Power of Attorney with Nigel George from Garner & Hancock Solicitors

·       Choosing an LGBTQ+ friendly care home with Clare Truscott and Ted Brown from the Not Going in the Care Closet Campaign

Bios

Sophie Conrad Jones and Yolanda Mapes from Parsonage & Co Solicitors in Teddington. Sophie worked as a Mental Health Paralegal before joining the firm’s conveyancing team and now works in the firm’s family law and wills & probate teams. Yolanda works primarily as a Probate Assistant.

Roland Chesters is a respected campaigner and author who volunteers at the Queer Museum, the national LGBTQ+ Museum in North London. Roland will speak about queer history with time for questions and comments afterwards.

Nigel George is Head of the Life Planning Department at Garner & Hancock Solicitors in Isleworth. He advises on Lasting Power of Attorney and Inheritance Tax. Nigel also acts as a Civil Celebrant for funerals.

Clare Truscott was part of the Pride organising committee 1988-1991 and is still campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights as co-founder (with Ted Brown) of “Not Going Back into the Care Closet” – working to protect older people’s right to be open about their loves and relationships in care and in sheltered housing.

Iconic activist Ted Brown has fought for queer and black identities for over 50 years. After losing his partner, Noel, he began campaigning to make care home safer for LGBTQ+ elders. The award-winning documentary Ted & Noel tells his story. Ted & Noel film- fighting homophobic abuse in care homes – DEEP

The Rainbow Retirement Day will take place on Tuesday 1st July. The event will from 11am to 4 pm with 4 presentations. During the breaks, please visit stands hosted by charities and council services for more information and advice. Please book your free place by visiting the Landmark Arts Centre website. For more information about the day, please email the Wellbeing Services Team at Age UK Richmond on [email protected].