Safer Streets ... Please! - Kilburn Action pensioners group shoot film to highlight pavement perils
A NEW film reveals “unsafe streets” in Camden Town are leaving pensioners fearful of leaving their homes.
The film, Safer Streets ... Please!, points to hazards such as broken paving stones, loose drainage covers and abandoned roadworks that make navigating Camden’s streets a daily struggle for older people.
Shot exclusively by pensioners using a handheld camera, the film was shown to council workers in a bid to galvanise them into action.
It was showcased publicly for the first time on Thursday as part of the annual Kilburn Film Festival.
Frances Eley, 84, one of the creators, said she was inspired to act after having a bad fall near her home. Ms Eley, who is standing down as chairwoman of the Camden Central Older People’s Steering Group, said it was “embarrassing” to watch the screening, but added that she enjoyed making the film.
Other films made by members of pensioners’ charity Kilburn Older Voices Exchange (KOVE) included Camden Beacon Groups – a celebration of the different older people’s groups in Kilburn and West Hampstead. Poems from a Bench featured the benches on Kilburn High Road installed after a long campaign by older residents.
The Kilburn Film Festival, from Thursday to Sunday, showcased a range of works including A Touch of Class followed by a Q&A with its star, Glenda Jackson, the Oscar-winning actress and MP for Kilburn and Hampstead.
Published: 14 July 2011
by JOSIE HINTON