Older people living in south Cumbria are thriving, thanks to a dedicated mission to make the area more socially inclusive.
As members of the UK Network of Age Friendly Communities, Cumbria Community Foundation is working with residents and partners to develop a local approach to becoming an age-friendly borough.
Age Friendly is a global scheme, based on the World Health Organisation’s Age Friendly Communities framework – creating social and built environments that promote healthy and active later lives for all.
Cumbria is defined as having a super-ageing population, which means the number of older residents is increasing, while the number of younger residents is decreasing.
A private donor has given the initial capital to Cumbria Community Foundation to establish Age Friendly South Lakeland and employ an Age Friendly co-ordinator for two years. Further funding was also received from the Morecambe Bay CCG Population Health Fund.
Katie Gatt’s new role as Age Friendly co-ordinator will see her engage with the community, raising awareness of the opportunities, events and activities on offer. She also works with older residents to shape the community, identifying where there might be gaps.
When setting up an Age Friendly community, the first six months involves direct engagement with the people of all ages who live there, to identify priorities and create an action plan. In South Lakeland a steering group has been set up, to ensure it is driven by the community it is creating.
As part of the scheme, there are other opportunities to get grant funding for smaller and larger initiatives.
October 1 is International Day of Older Persons and, to coincide with that, an Age Friendly Festival is being held in Kendal Leisure Centre.
Organisations and partners will be networking from 9.30am to 11.30am, before the doors are opened to the public between 11.30am and 3pm.
The festival will showcase what is on offer in the South Lakeland area, help signpost people to agencies, and give visitors the chance to try their hand at activities including walking netball, boccia, New Age Kurling, swimming and much more.
