They refused to fade quietly.

Award-winning BBC reporter and presenter Elly Fiorentini has never defined herself by age. "Age doesn't exist in my world," she says. Growing up, her mother refused to disclose her age: Elly has always thought of herself as 45 and her mum thought of herself as 21. It was never discussed, and it never mattered. That outlook has shaped how Elly lives and works. She believes ageing is a privilege and that kindness and curiosity should guide how we treat one another, whether in the workplace or in our communities. In her own neighbourhood, she values the quiet reciprocity of intergenerational living - people looking out for one another, offering help when it's needed, and recognising how much richer life is when generations mix naturally. At work, Elly is passionate about reversing the usual flow of ideas. Older colleagues should not simply present solutions, she argues, but actively ask younger people how they think things should work. When broadcasting and journalism became digital, Elly leaned into learning - asking for help, adapting quickly, and continuing to mentor and coach people around the world. For Elly, age is irrelevant. What matters is respect, openness and staying engaged with life. What can we learn? • We need to stop focusing on age - curiosity, kindness and openness matter far more • Intergenerational living and working don't need programmes to start; they begin with everyday behaviours in our own communities • Learning flows both ways: experience brings judgement, younger voices bring fresh perspective • Staying engaged means being willing to ask for help, adapt and keep learning at every stage of life

When David Patient stepped down as managing partner of Travers Smith in 2021, one role quickly led to another. As he recalls, "I was tapped up by Simon Davis, a former President of The Law Society of England and Wales, and a senior partner at Clifford Chance, who had been involved in reshaping the Law Society Council and creating a new seat to represent what are known as the 'Major Corporate' firms. I was asked if I'd put my hat in the ring - and I decided to go for it. I was elected in a contested election in the autumn of 2021, and became the first representative of these members on the Council." That role also brought David onto the board of the City of London Law Society as the Law Society Council's representative. It was here that another opportunity surfaced. At a dinner, he found himself sitting next to Stephen Denyer, a former Allen & Overy partner, who David had known for many years, and who was at that time Director of Strategic Relationships at The Law Society. When David mentioned that he had studied History at Durham, Stephen, a fellow Durham alumnus, told him about plans to appoint new members to the University Law School's advisory board. David was keen to help. He was introduced to the Dean and invited to join the advisory board, bringing with him a private practice and firm leadership perspective that complemented the academic and judicial voices already involved. The board's chair was Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division of the High Court. Alongside the Dean and Professor Philip Bennett - Durham's first Professor in Practice and a former Slaughter and May partner - a broader idea began to take shape: creating a Durham Law School Alumni Association. It would be deliberately inclusive, open to anyone who had studied at Durham and gone on to a legal career, regardless of their degree subject - an association for all "Durham lawyers", not just law graduates. David agreed not only to help get the Association off the ground, but to chair its executive committee. Over six months, he and Philip worked through the practicalities: drafting a constitution, selecting 40 founding members and planning a launch in Durham and a celebratory dinner at Durham Castle. The signing ceremony was attended by the Vice-Chancellor and Association co-presidents Lord Hughes of Ombersley and Lady Black of Derwent, both former Supreme Court judges and Durham alumni. From the outset, the aim was to build something credible and lasting, with clear governance and a close link back to the University, complementing the existing University and College alumni networks. Accessibility mattered from the start, and over the following 12 months the Association grew to over 1,000 members from private practice, the Bar, and in-house, and from around the world. For a second dinner in Durham, in September 2025, this time to celebrate the anniversary of the launch, David persuaded ten law firms he knew well, each to contribute the sum of £750 to the costs of holding the dinner, keeping ticket prices low enough for those at the beginning of their careers to be able to afford to attend. The intention was simple: to bring younger alumni, trainees and early-career lawyers into the room alongside senior figures, and to make intergenerational connection the norm rather than the exception. The Durham Law School Alumni Association was set up with a clear purpose. Its members understand what employers are really looking for - whether in law firms, chambers, in-house teams or academia - and use that insight to support students through mentoring, employability skills and career guidance. The Association helps keep teaching and research connected to practice and acts as a bridge between the University and the legal profession, in the UK and overseas. That connection supports strong graduate outcomes and makes a real difference to how Durham is seen by prospective students, particularly those coming from abroad. All of this feeds into Durham's wider reputation and success, including its position in the rankings and recognition in this year's Times and Sunday Times rankings as University of the Year. For David, it comes back to legacy. Durham had been a formative part of his own life. With more time, strong networks and decades of experience, he has been able to help build something that will continue long after his own involvement.

At 39, Gary Rumens never expected to help lead a movement to green Manchester's concrete city centre. After years in retail - much of it as a shop-floor manager, alongside behind-the-scenes work at his company's head office - Covid furlough brought his work to a halt and his surroundings into focus. Living in the city, he noticed the lack of green space and the volume of litter. He started small, organising a local litter-picking group. That simple act sparked something bigger: a determination to bring nature back into urban life. Gary joined the Plant Co-operative CIC, a not-for-profit collective transforming neglected city spaces into biodiverse gardens. Their aim is ambitious but practical: to create a city of gardeners in the most built-up areas, proving that wellbeing, biodiversity and community thrive when nature returns. Now working four days a week with a small team, Gary teaches communities how to garden sustainably - growing food, saving seeds, avoiding pesticides and allowing so-called "weeds" to support wildlife. Urban gardening isn't easy: heat from concrete, wind tunnels and unpredictable weather all take their toll. Some projects fail. "We all make mistakes and learn," Gary says. "That's how nature works." A defining feature of the work is its intergenerational mix. Through his separate Clean & Green Castlefield group, Gary works with volunteers of all ages, including David, a retired solicitor and lifelong gardener. Initially, Gary felt daunted by David's experience. Instead, a genuine exchange developed. David brought traditional knowledge; Gary introduced no-dig gardening, permaculture beds and working with nature rather than controlling it. "You assume older people are set in their ways," Gary reflects, "but we're learning from each other." This two-way volunteering sits at the heart of the work. Volunteers are encouraged to experiment, share knowledge, shape projects and see the impact of their contribution. The results are tangible: stronger communities, reduced anti-social behaviour, increased engagement - and vegetables growing where no one thought possible. Gary's philosophy is simple: • Give things a go - don't wait for perfection • Make volunteering a two-way learning experience • Ask people what they want from volunteering and help them achieve it • Share impact openly so everyone knows the value of their contribution • Let volunteers own projects and give feedback Gary's story shows the real power of intergenerational working: not expertise flowing one way, but curiosity, openness and learning flowing in both directions - exactly the culture organisations everywhere need to embrace.

When Kate Cook, author and nutritionist of 25 years, turned 60, she noticed a pattern she could no longer ignore. Many people reached their late 50s and early 60s with ambition and experience intact, but with health that quietly limited what they could do next. Options narrowed not because of age, but because energy, resilience and confidence had already been eroded. Working across corporate settings, Kate saw this repeatedly. People wanted to keep contributing, learning or reshaping their work, but arrived at this stage depleted and unprepared. Health, she realised, was not a wellbeing add-on but a decisive factor in whether people had any real choices left. That insight led her to develop Thrive After 55, a programme designed to help people think earlier and more deliberately about longer working lives, with health as a foundation rather than an afterthought. The focus is not on extending work at all costs, but on preserving the capacity to decide what comes next. Kate is particularly critical of the language we use. "People rarely think ahead," she says, "and the word 'retirement' is unhelpful. It literally means withdrawing from life." In her experience, many people begin withdrawing years before they stop working, adjusting expectations downward instead of redesigning what might still be possible. Her argument is simple. In a world where working lives are extending by 20 or 30 years, health increasingly determines not how long people work, but whether they have the freedom to choose how they contribute at all.