A Conversation with Helen Aitchison

Recently we spoke with Helen Aitchison, talented author, and Age UK North Tyneside Trustee to discuss her new non-fiction novel In the Footsteps of Walker Women and her upcoming poetry book Ramblings.

Helen, a writer from North Tyneside, has worked closely in the care sector for over 20 years. She began her writing career four years ago with poetry and the aim to make reading “inclusive and accessible” to the community. With experience in charity work, social care, and the care of older people, she shares real experiences through her literature. After working closely with Age UK North Tyneside’s Veteran Services in her publication Veterans’ Voices, she has since become a Trustee of Age UK North Tyneside as of March 2023.

Her novel, In the Footsteps of Walker Women, was commissioned by the Pottery Bank Community Centre in Walker, where women reached out to Helen to share their stories. Copies of this have been kindly donated to our Book Club for them to enjoy and share. Helen described this as the opportunity to allow those voices to be heard as she explained:

“No one has ever asked them their story.”

Helen and some of the inspiring women behind In the Footsteps of Walker Women at the book launch.

The novel shares themes of social issues, abuse, illness, and grief alongside kindness and community. The wonderful 15 women Helen spoke to, she described as “different and diverse, these women did everything in their intergenerational communities.” Through this, Helen hopes that our Book Club can read it and generate conversation between strangers by “thinking of (their) own story.” As a result of her works, Helen maintained a sense of authenticity and dignity which “helps us to be proud of who we are and where we come from” As she explained “It could be any industrial town” and so Women from anywhere can read and relate to the experiences, showing the universal need for people, place, and purpose.

The same is to be said for her poetry book Ramblings which is to be released in October. Helen is kindly donating her royalties to us here at Age UK North Tyneside to help us continue the work we are doing. Helen said she wrote the anthology to depict “life and death and everything in between.” This way, anyone reading can relate to the emotions of the poetry. By writing small, relatable accounts of human experiences, all members of the community can enjoy the familiarity and relatability of her works. One of Helen’s priorities when authoring the poems was “not for profit, it’s to raise awareness about Age UK North Tyneside.”

Supporting Helen and Age UK North Tyneside

We are massively grateful to Helen for her continued work, dedication, and donations to Age UK North Tyneside, and cannot wait to see what our Book Club thinks! If you enjoy reading and would like to meet people with the same interest, have a look at our Book Club to take part in exciting experiences like this. Helen will also kindly be visiting our Book Club members on the 18^th of October. Find out more about our Book Club here.

If you would like to support Helen and Age UK North Tyneside, you can buy her books in paperback or eBook online. Find out more here.