In pictures: Around 350 people browse stands at Maidenhead health and wellbeing show

About 350 people browsed exhibits as a show focused on the health and wellbeing of older men returned to Maidenhead Library for another year.

The free admission Men’s Matters Living Longer Living Better Health and Wellbeing Show was back for its fourth year in the town centre with 24 public and private sector exhibitors.

Kicking off from 1.30pm on Wednesday, stands were busy offering advice and a range of services and products, geared towards men in later life.

Maidenhead resident Andreas Charalambides who was attending for the first time, said: “[It is an] extremely useful exhibition.

“Being able to find out about all the services available, that I wasn’t aware of and [they were] very pleasant people, very knowledgeable people, very approachable.

“Overall, a very useful experience. I’m very glad I came.”

John Clegg, volunteer at People to Places, said: “This Men’s Matters [exhibition at] Maidenhead Library has been very useful for us.

“We’ve made a few contacts with other agencies, they’re helping us, we’re helping them, and individuals have found us.

“We’re providing details about our services to them and hopefully we’re getting a fair bit of interest, so a very good afternoon, well worth it.”

Lisa Hunter, marketing consultant at residential care specialists Abbeyfield Maidenhead, said: “It’s been an absolutely brilliant day.

“It’s great to see how many people have come down to say hello. Not just meeting people who might potentially be looking for care but also meeting all the other organisations, and some good networking going on.”

Men’s Matters trustee Paul Samuels said there were ‘a lot of new faces’ coming through the door for this year’s event.

Alongside exhibitors sending out emails and communicating with their network, Paul said this was also thanks to the NHS primary care network sending out a text to let people know the event was taking place.

He added: “It was great seeing it on my phone and it was great hearing other people [say] we sent it out to this group or that group, and this is the way we do it.

“Because it’s incredibly difficult reaching older guys, particularly the guys who are alone.

“How do you reach them? Probably the best way is through the social services or through the primary care networks, the NHS.”

Attendance numbers were ‘up on last year’, he explained.

Paul said the event is ‘very important’ for older men in the community.

He added: “You can see people really enjoy it and really gain from it.

“I think it’s fantastic.

“All the exhibitors turned up, and we got a very good range of audience.

“Maidenhead Library has been wonderful, very, very supportive, so [I] couldn’t ask for more.”

To find out more information about Men’s Matters, visit mensmatters.org/