Age-friendly Belfast

Age-friendly

Belfast was the first city in Northern Ireland to join the World Health Organisation's Global Network of Age-friendly Cities.

In an age-friendly city, organisations work together to make sure the quality of life for people is enhanced as they age.

We are part of the Healthy Ageing Strategic Partnership (HASP) which has been working for the last 18 months, consulting with over 700 older people.

Specific concerns were highlighted around maintenance of pavements, public toilets and outdoor seating and home heating.

HASP, which is part of the Belfast Strategic Partnership, has developed an Age-friendly plan to address these issues. These include:

• running an arts festival for older people
• continuing with the Older Volunteer Awards
• working with housing providers to communicate housing options;
• developing several age-friendly outdoor spaces
• developing an Age-friendly Belfast standard for businesses, and services to strive towards

For information on Age-friendly Belfast, call 028 9050 2073 and ask for our Age Friendly Belfast Plan 2018 – 2021. 

To view the Age-friendly Belfast profile, visit the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency website.

Age Friendly Belfast Plan 2022-2026

Our Age Friendly Plan for Belfast is published online.

We screened the plan for equality impacts and completed a rural needs impact assessment. You can read these reports online.

• Equality screening outcome report: Age Friendly Belfast Plan 2022-2026
• Rural Needs Impact Assessment: Age Friendly Belfast Plan 2022-2026

Older volunteers in Belfast

We want to encourage and support older people to return to or take up volunteering in Belfast. Volunteering is good for your physical and mental well-being and can be very rewarding. It links to Take 5 Steps to Well-being.

By volunteering, you can:

• share a skill with other people
• learn a new skill
• connect with other people
• help a cause you care about, or
• just do something different

To find volunteer roles in your area, go to Volunteer Now (link opens in new window).

Every year, our Age-Friendly awards celebrate older volunteers in Belfast. Read our news story on Age Friendly awards in 2022. 

Age-friendly awards

The Age-Friendly Older Volunteer Awards take place each year at City Hall.

The awards shine a spotlight on the contribution that older people aged 60 years and over make to the life of the city through volunteering.

Volunteers are recognised across five different categories.

• Older Volunteer of the Year
• Longstanding Volunteer of the Year
• Digital Champion of the Year
• Unsung Hero of the Year
• Team of the Year

Read more about Age-friendly awards

Intergenerational guide and toolkit

We've produced a guide and toolkit aimed at bringing younger and older generations together.

They're designed for leaders of young and older people’s groups, helping them engage with older and younger people, promote participation and a sense of belonging. 

The guide and toolkit are easy to use, and broken into sections that give practical examples of activities, tools and templates for planning and running intergenerational projects.

The benefits include:

• increased self-confidence
• a sense of belonging in the community
• opportunities to influence government policy and community planning
• more positive perception of people from different generations
• new skills development like lobbying, cooking, IT and creative arts
• further participation in the community and stronger feelings of citizenship
• mutual understanding and increased sense of empathy between generations

If you would like a copy of the toolkit, call 028 9050 2073. 

Older People's Forums

There are six older people's forums operating across Belfast.

Each forum is made up of older volunteers who meet once a month to look at issues affecting older people in their area, participate in training and workshops and attend trips and outings.

The forums want to recruit new members. To join, you need to be aged 50 or older, live in the local area and interested in championing the needs of older people.

Get in touch