Ain't No Stopping Us Now- Paisley's Daytime Disco.

Paisley pensioners are dancing their way out of social isolation every month thanks to Pasna Sallis, founder of social enterprise Weekday Wow Factor.

I am a huge fan of any party, so I thought it only right that I join in on a bleak Friday morning. It was a St Patrick's day theme and at 11 am I walked into a buzzing room filled with green flashing lights, fun party hats, an impressive spread of sandwiches and a lot of very enthusiastic two-stepping.

I was greeted by the incredibly welcoming Pasna, who immediately gave me the low-down on her social enterprise, “I set up Weekday Wow Factor because I was working in the NHS and I noticed that some people with dementia loved music and dancing, but there was a big gap in the market for those types of activities that older adults could attend”.

Pasna trialled her concept in popular West End club Sanctuary, since then she has managed to secure locations for the discos in areas such as Paisley, Inverclyde, East Dunbartonshire, the East End of Glasgow and the Gorbals, with the hope that she could reach as many older people as possible.

Pasna’s main goal was to help the fight against loneliness experienced by the elderly. It’s a growing issue in the UK and the Campaign to End Loneliness reported that there are around 1.2 million chronically lonely, elderly people in the UK. Isolation can be harmful to anyone and it’s a particular problem for the mental health of the elderly. Organisations like Weekday Wow Factor are determined to make a difference to the lives of people who might otherwise suffer in silence.

Weekday Wow Factor does more than enable older folk to get their groove on, they also organise zip sliding, speedboating and murder mystery lunches to name a few. I can’t lie, I found it difficult to picture an older adult zip-sliding across the River Clyde. It got me thinking about my old age and what I’ll be doing, I almost got annoyed at myself for assuming that because someone’s older they no longer want or can have fun. Let’s throw out those assumptions. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that when I’m older I don’t want to be restricted to being inside with nothing left to do but devour a whole packet of Tunnocks tea cakes in one sitting.

A fun, ‘why-not?’ attitude underpins Weekday Wow Factor’s core values. The website states “we aim to awaken the inner child by using exciting and healthy leisure activities, to enhance health and well-being, making new friendships and gain new confidence along the way”. This is a fresh and encouraging approach to looking at life. I think we could all do with letting go and awakening our inner child more often.

Before the group descended onto the dancefloor there was time for them all to catch up whilst tucking into their selection of sandwiches. Dorothy, a regular at the morning disco’s said, “I spend a lot of my time stuck in the house, which isn’t good for anyone’s health. It’s great to have things like this to go to, and I’ve made so many new friends”.

Josephine, a lifelong resident of Paisley chatted to me about how fond of her home town she is. She described the great things to do around the town and gave me excellent bar recommendations, one being the Swan Inn which Josephine told me was nominated as the most entertaining pub in Paisley. When discussing the area, she said, “I love Paisley. There’s so much to see if people would only lift their eyes up and look at the architecture and history all around them”. As I left, Josephine continued dancing and with her words still in my mind, I looked at Paisley with fresh eyes and a spring in my step.

The disco wasn’t as busy as it usually is and the organisers suggested that this was due to fears surrounding the Coronavirus. Since my visit, all such social events have been cancelled, but all is not lost as Weekday Wow Factor has started organising skype discos for the most vulnerable to join in from the comfort and safety of their own home. It really is inspiring to see how much support everyone is giving each other at this time.

I do hope that the Weekday Wow Factor gets back to its regular events when it’s safe to do so. It’s a great initiative and has lessons for all of us about the value of getting together for some fun and good company. It’s rare for me to get out of my comfort zone and dance to 80s music at 11 in the morning with a group of strangers, but when I left, I felt energised, happy and ready to take on the day. It was clear that Pasna was right, it feels good to release your youthful energy at any age, and we never have to give up our right to party.