Older People in the Media Awards - our winner!

Last night, GNHQ put down the cuppas and dusted off their best frocks to attend the Older People in the Media Awards.

There were plenty of categories and very worthy winners, but the one were were really excited about (even more excited than we were about the very dashing Larry Lamb presenting the do? *Probably*) was the Best Older Person's Character, as voted for by gransnetters! 

After much lively discussion, brilliant Anne Reid was chosen as our winner for her role as Celia in Last Tango in Halifax. She beat her co-star Sir Derek Jacobi, Alison Steadman, who had been nominated for her roles as Rose in The Syndicate and Pauline Paradise in Love and Marriage, Una Stubbs for her role as Mrs Hudson in Sherlock, and a host of other stars.

GN Editor Lara Crisp, who was on the judging panels for the other categories, too, said:

"The great thing with all the nominations is that they show that older people can be the central character in a show - not just interfering, doddery, peripheral figures. In the end, Anne Reid, took home the award for her portrayal of Celia. Our readers found it refreshing to see a focus on older relationships, and that she was well-rounded but flawed, and therefore felt real." 

The Awards, organised by older people’s charity Independent Age and sponsored by care provider Barchester Healthcare, aimed to shine a light on coverage which has either positively portrayed older people or sensitively highlighted the issues they face.

With this in mind, the 'winner of winners' award went to 29-year-old dementia care worker and social media enthusiast Darren Gormley. His blog, Making Dementia Care Personal, details his personal experiences of working with dementia patients and was praised by the judges for being “engaging”, “insightful” and “positive”.