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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:
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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:
If you would like a copy of the toolkit, call 028 9050 2073.
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.
Name | Contact |
---|---|
West Belfast 50+ Forum | Email deirdre.murphy@volunteernow.co.uk or call 028 90232020 |
Greater Shankill Senior Citizens' Forum | Email deirdre.murphy@volunteernow.co.uk or call 028 90232020 |
East Belfast Seniors' Forum | Email cathy.chambers@engagewithage.org.uk or call 028 9073 5696 |
South Belfast Lifestyle Forum | Email cathy.chambers@engagewithage.org.uk or call 028 9073 5696 |
North Belfast Senior Citizens' Forum | Email olaf@northbelfastseniors.org or call 028 9075 5894 |