An exciting new initiative in the Old Trafford area will help to give residents in mid and later life a greater voice in their community.
The Ageing in Place Pathfinder, a partnership programme led by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), is working with Trafford Council and eight other GM local authorities to improve local residents’ quality of life as they grow older.
A wide range of stakeholders have committed to support the Pathfinder which is working to create resident-led partnerships in a total of nine neighbourhoods across Greater Manchester. The Old Trafford project, which received £10,000 funding, is being led by the Trafford Community Collective – the voice of the voluntary, community and faith Enterprise Sector – and involves a range of partners including Trafford Council and the Trafford Ageing Well Network.
A new steering group, made up of 50 per cent older people and representatives from the L&Q Housing Trust, has been set up to ask older residents their views on their local area and how it could be improved. Specific objectives will be developed through communication, consultation and involvement with older people in the areas concerned.
The steering group will also establish a partnership of voluntary, community and public sector partners to map existing support, identify gaps and opportunities for cross organisational working and engage directly with individuals; develop an inclusive approach to community-based support for older people in North Trafford; and develop an action plan. The group, which meets next week for the first time, will also communicate with older people on the development, delivery, review and evaluation of the project.
New research suggests people aged 75 and over are spending at least 80 per cent of their time in their home or the surrounding area and by 2040, for the first time in history, over 40% of the UK population will be aged 50 and over.
As part of the project, resident-led partnerships between local organisations and older people, will co-produce action plans to deliver improvements to local services, activities, projects and the physical environment. By putting inclusivity and older people’s voices at the heart of the work, the Pathfinder aims to make meaningful and lasting changes to help residents age well.
Cllr Jane Slater, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Heath and Care, said: “We want to improve the quality of life for older people in our all of our communities. The Ageing in Place Pathfinder is hugely important and will guarantee that older people in our communities are given a voice in all aspects of local life. It is an exciting piece of work which ties into our Neighbourhood Programme and is another example of our innovative partnership work.
“Thank you to everyone who is working hard on this. Let’s make Trafford and the rest of the Greater Manchester region as age-friendly as we can for now and in the future.”
Sara Todd, Trafford Council Chief Executive and Chief Executive Lead for Age Friendly GM, said: “It is vitally important that older people in our communities across Trafford and the rest of Greater Manchester are given a voice. We will continue to work with residents and partners to ensure that the right support is available through the work of the Ageing in Place Pathfinder programme and steering group. Everyone in our region deserves an improved quality of life and age should not be a barrier to this.”
As well as Old Trafford, the following neighbourhoods have been identified by local authorities and other partners as places that would benefit from the Pathfinder:
• Little Lever, Bolton
• Moorside, Bury
• Abbey Hey, Manchester
• Kirkholt and Smallbridge, Rochdale
• Pendleton and Charlestown, Salford
• Brinnington, Stockport
• Ridgehill, Tameside
• Worsley Mesnes, Wigan
