00:00Flooding to the dance floor to groove the night away, the midlife movers are practicing their
00:15next steps for their next stage. The group originally started in 2022 as a dance class
00:21for people over the age of 40 years old and has grown to all across East Kent and has since
00:26become much more than choreography but community. Groups of people have met and made friends and they
00:32go out and we appear to be supporting many many issues because I know that the upper age bracket
00:41are very very complex and that can be anything from feeling lonely because they've lost loved
00:50ones. They're grieving, there's mental health issues, there's sometimes grave illnesses and
00:57of course the mental health umbrella is huge. It's connecting people and giving a lot of
01:06people a purpose. But their latest dance aims to raise awareness of suicide prevention.
01:13Perfecting their routine before performing at Dreamland this September where they'll be
01:18performing at the Evening of Hope which will mark the end to the event of the Battle of Hope's
01:22first ever visit to Kent and Medway. Making its way from Medway through Maystone and Canterbury
01:27before finishing the day at Margate. It will be carried by bearers who all have their own personal
01:33stories. I mean this means a lot to me because in the late 60s I lost my dad to suicide and it was
01:42in the 60s it was a taboo subject. Couldn't talk about it. Yeah and it's very dear to my heart so
01:50I'll be doing this one for my dad. The baton is a physical symbol of the work the charity is doing
01:56to boost conversations around mental health and saving lives. But in the lead up to the 22nd of
02:02September the mid-life movers will keep practicing their steps ahead of the day.
02:10Daisy Page for KMTV in Sandwich. If you've been affected by the issues raised in this report
02:17the Samaritans can be reached on 116 123.
