Ageing Better in Birmingham

 

The end and new beginnings Ageing Better in Birmingham is in its final few months as the programme is closing down on 31 March 2022. It’s been a fulfilling and enjoyable seven years, and we are proud of what has been accomplished. In this newsletter, we reflect on some of those achievements.

The last ‘Age of Experience’ meeting Our ‘Experts by Experience’ have been with us every step of the way. In 2015, the Ageing Better Hubs recruited 20 members who came to identify themselves as the “Age of Experience” group. Throughout the years, new members have joined, introducing new perspectives and responding to learning from programme activity and it is through this group we have ensured that older people’s voices and experiences have been at the heart of the programme. Members have contributed to decision making at all levels including: Our Core Partnership Procurement activities Ageing Better Networks Learning and Sharing The Ageing Better Fund Staff recruitment Marketing and Communications Legacy Planning

Read our “Co-producing with diverse communities” briefing here

It is always difficult saying goodbye, so it is great to know the group is in full swing of organising their annual celebration event, which will take place on 11 February 2022. It will be a chance for people over 50 to get together, meet others, and celebrate the new year together. See the end of this newsletter for more information about ‘Moving Forward Together’.

Over £500,000 to community groups in Birmingham Since 2016, we’ve committed over £513,500 to community groups across the city. Over 10,300 people in Birmingham have now taken part in Ageing Better activities.

Our Ageing Better Fund is now closed. The micro fund supported 340 grassroots community groups across the city to start new activities for the benefit of socially isolated and lonely over 50s in our city. The Transition Fund and Digital Pilots, set up to continue support for groups during the pandemic, helped people to stay connected through this challenging period. The funds have proven highly successful and supported 417 new activities in total. Richard Green, one of our fund panel members, said:

“In the very earliest days of Ageing Better, I learned about the negative impact of social isolation on health - the equivalent of smoking twenty cigarettes a day. I firmly believe the Ageing Better in Birmingham programme has improved the health and lives of many of our citizens. Ageing Better funding is just the start. The real legacy will be to keep the activities going for the benefit of all Brummies in the future. Let’s continue to make Birmingham an Age-friendly city.”

The programme in numbers (click here for infographic)

Ageing Better Hubs Between January and March, we’re supporting the Ageing Better Hubs’ legacy and sustainability plans to enable citizen-led groups to continue beyond the programme. Each hub has their own approach based on the community they work with. Some of the tools that have already been produced as part of the programme include:

Top Tips for setting up a community group Starting intergenerational activities How to continue your community group for years to come Practical solutions for overcoming barriers to joining activities in later life

Engaging older men Men Men who have led Ageing Better projects were asked to present how they successfully engaged older men in their activities. That proved difficult due to time constraints and low confidence levels. Hanna Webb from our City-Wide Hub and Nita Upudhyay from our Sparkbrook Hub, spoke to some of these men and did a brilliant job presenting their findings to organisations and funders across the nation, as part of International Men’s Day. You can watch Nita’s presentation below:

Launching our new website! During the last seven years, we have learnt a lot about reducing social isolation for people over 50 in Birmingham, learning that is captured in briefings, reports, images, evaluations and stories. These can continue to inform new activities in our city, big and small. Stories and photos can inspire and narrate the impact the programme has had on the lives of people here. We are launching our new website, a sort of 'mini-site' that will act as a depository for our learning. Our current website will close down next year, but the new mini-site will continue for years to come. It's available from: www.bvsc.org/ageingbetter

As we mentioned earlier, our Age of Experience members are organising a final celebration for people over 50. What has previously been ‘Spring Forward’, is now known as ‘Moving Forward Together’ to reflect the end of the programme, and the start of something new. See below flyer. We hope to see you there!

And with that, the Ageing Better team would like to wish you all a lovely time over the holidays, and a Happy New Year!