Greater Manchester - a great place to grow older

22 March 2018

The Greater Manchester Ageing Hub announces Greater Manchester is the UK’s first age-friendly city region.

grey haired man with speech bubble

On Friday 16 March, Mayor Andy Burnham and Ageing portfolio lead Cllr Jean Stretton attended a Manchester Active Ageing Taster Day for older people in Debdale Park, Gorton, Manchester. This gave the Greater Manchester Ageing Hub the opportunity to issue some exciting announcements, including:

  • Greater Manchester is the UK’s first age-friendly city region
  • £1M Active Ageing Investment for Greater Manchester from Sport England
  • The launch of the Greater Manchester Age Friendly Strategy showing how the GM Ageing Hub (along with its partners) will make GM a better place to grow older, with twelve ‘together we will’ commitments

Greater Manchester is the UK’s first age-friendly city region, as recognised by the World Health Organization. This means we are a place committed to enabling older people to actively participate in their community, to stay connected, to stay healthy and active, to provide appropriate support to those who need it, and to treat everyone with respect regardless of age.

On Friday 16 March, the GM Ageing Hub launched an ambitious strategy to deliver on Mayor Andy Burnham’s manifesto commitment to make Greater Manchester a better place to grow older. This covers neighbourhoods and communities, housing, older workers, health and social care, transport, culture, physical activity and a positive change in the way older people are viewed.
Sport England is investing £1M to get over 55s more active in their communities, socially and physically – especially those who have been previously inactive.
Greater Manchester is holding a Festival of Ageing 2-15 July 2018, celebrating older people and portraying a positive view of ageing
Together we will:

  • Establish age-friendly communities across Greater Manchester, promoting volunteering and bringing generations together
  • Become a world leader in research and innovation for an ageing society
  • Support more people to be physically active as they age
  • Campaign for positive change in the way older people are viewed

More information

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