News Blogs and Events
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Creating Safety When Wandering with Dementia
Over the course of living with dementia, 70% of individuals will go wandering and missing at least once. This is a scary statistic when you consider the higher risks associated with…
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Planning with Care event Raynes Park 10th July
We’re delighted that Ashley is taking part in ‘Planning with Care’ event on 10th July, 10am – 11:30am.This is a free talk at Poppy’s Raynes Park, to help you plan…
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Don’t take your stories with you: share family history while you still can.
You are have stories that nobody else has. And one day, without any warning, those stories could simply be gone. This isn’t something people like to dwell on. But in my years of helping families…
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June 2026 drop in clinic
The next drop in at St Mary and St John the Divine is on 24 June 10-11 in the church on Balham High Road. Drop in and ask about anything…
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Be ready before you need to be: a hospital bag for your loved one
In my work supporting seniors and their families, I have seen many moments of crisis – a fall, a sudden illness, an unexpected hospital admission. And in those moments, on…
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I’m not against having possessions – but use them, or keep them with purpose
People often assume that because I do what I do – helping people downsize, declutter and let go – I must be against owning things. I’m really not. I love a beautiful piece of furniture.…
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Living in a gold mine — and staying put
This month’s guest blog is written by Mel Kenny, a chartered financial planner with Radcliffe & Newlands Wealth www.rad-new.com, and a SOLLA www.societyoflaterlifeadvisers.co.uk accredited later life financial adviser, which means he specialises…
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May 2026 drop in clinic
Our next drop in at St Mary’s in Balham is on Wednesday 27 May 2026. If you are retired pop in and ask us about health, finance, moving, staying at…
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Loneliness and solitude — they are not the same thing
Retirement is one of the biggest life changes any of us will go through. One day there is a diary full of meetings, colleagues, deadlines and purpose. The next, there…
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Ditch the envelope
Do you open your post and put the letter back in the envelope? Or perhaps you open the envelope, glance at what’s inside, and put the whole lot down on…
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How to sell or give things away online
So you’ve done a declutter and you have a pile of things that you don’t want to just throw away. Perhaps they have some value, or perhaps you simply want to know they are going to a good home.…
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Why storing belongings at your parents’ house holds them back in later life
We hear it so often: ’Oh, that’s just my son’s stuff in the spare room’ or ’My daughter’s boxes are still in the loft from when she moved out.’ What starts as a temporary…
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Loneliness isn’t always about being alone. Sometimes, it’s about not being truly seen.
This month’s guest blog is written by David Annand, Head of Operations and Fundraising at Adopt a Grandparent One of the questions I’m asked most often is this: How…
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Join us at Age UK Richmond
We would be delighted if you would join us at Age UK Richmond’s Peace of Mind day on 5th May 2026 from 0930 at the Twickenham Wellbeing Centre. Ashley will…
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Power of Attorney Day – 22nd April 2026
Carers UK have joined forces with Standard Life to launch the first ever UK-wide Power of Attorney Day taking place on Wednesday, 22nd April 2026. A power of attorney is a legal document that…
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We contributed to a Mail on Sunday article!
Ashley was delighted to be interviewed by Lucy Evans of the Daily Mail for her piece in the Mail on Sunday today (12th April 2026) – 10 Things To Do…
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Phone a friend
So you’ve decided to declutter either to make space at home for a renovation, or because you are moving house, or just because you know you have too much stuff and it…
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What matters to you?
When faced with a 5-bedroom house and a downsize, it can be challenging and daunting to know where to start with decluttering. Most of my clients going from that size house (or…
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April 2026 drop in clinic
Our next drop in at St Mary’s in Balham is on Wednesday 22nd April 2026. If you are retired pop in and ask us about health, finance, moving, staying at…
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What to ask before choosing a wheelchair
This month’s guest blog is written by Jordan Davies from Wheelfreedom, who are experts in wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and many more mobility aids.
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Why we never use paperclips
We are allergic to paperclips! Do you remember the old word assistant ‘Clippy’ which was used by Microsoft 1997-2007?
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Why your “pile to sell” is still clutter
So you’ve decluttered and you’ve got a pile of things to sell. The thing is, keeping a pile of things to sell still means you have a pile of clutter. …
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How to finally tackle your loft
Leaving things in the loft, just means you’ll forget what’s there and, to be honest, for most people the things that are in there are not things you want to…
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March 2026 drop in clinic
Our next drop in at St Mary’s in Balham is on Wednesday 25th March 2026. If you are retired pop in and ask us about health, finance, moving, staying at…
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Overwhelmed by photos? You’re not alone.
We all have far more photos than we ever intended to keep. Between smartphones, WhatsApp images, screenshots, and old printed photos stored in boxes, it’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed…
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Sagacious
I do love a good word. And I love a new word (to me). I was delighted to discover the above word last year.
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February 2026 drop in clinic
Our next drop in at St Mary’s in Balham is on Wednesday 25th February 2026. If you are retired pop in and ask us about health, finance, moving, staying at…
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I can do it myself!
There are many things we can do ourselves but dislike doing them, and many things we like but don’t have the time to do, and we are happy to outsource…
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Is your home tidy?
This is a question I get asked a lot. There is the saying that a plumber has a leaky tap and a builder has a wonky house! So what is…
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Decluttering supports wellbeing in later life
For many people, organising and decluttering starts as a practical task – clearing space, tidying drawers, making the home easier to manage. But as we get older, the state of…