On Saturday 22nd October, the Association of Blind Asians – funded by Leeds City Council – will celebrate the International Day of Older People.
And what better way to do it than a film night, complete with popcorn, at a local community centre.
Manager of the Association of Blind Asians, Debbani Ghosh, said: “We wanted to do something different.
“I decided to do a movie night for people in the community as it is something different for residents. We’re doing a Bengali movie night to bring isolated people who are in their later lives together.”
So far, Debbani has had very positive feedback and she has already booked out the Frederick Hurdle Day Centre on Reginald Terrace for the occasion.
“The council have been very supportive. We’ve ordered some food and it’s the first time this has happened.”
She added: “It’s not going to be a huge screen and the funding is only for 25 people. However, if we see that people are interested in it, we’ll continue it in the long term.”
The reason for the get together is to talk about mental health and culture whilst enjoying a classic film at the same time to open up dialogue between attendees.
“Movies impact mental health in a positive way because they teach you how to get over hurdles,” Debbani said.
“The film we have picked is called ‘Belaseshe’ which means ‘at the end of the day’ in Bengali.”
Debbani explained that there’s a realisation in the film that people support each other and everyone has different skills and strengths.
“Unfortunately, we only have room for 25 people.” Debbani said.
“I’m from the Bengali community and I thought that there’s nothing happening for this particular community.
“Everyone in attendance on the day will have some form of sight issue. We are inviting our members down and outsiders so everyone can feel connected into the community.”
To find out more, ring the ABA office on 0113 210 3347.
