Ambition for Ageing: A collaborative approach to combating social isolation in Greater Manchester

Ambition for Ageing is a £10.2 million Greater Manchester level programme aimed at creating more age-friendly places and empowering people to live fulfilling lives as they age.

It is funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s Ageing Better programme, which aims to reduce the social isolation of older people.

The 5-year programme is delivered by a cross-sector partnership with Local Delivery Leads (LDLs) leading on the work in 25 neighbourhoods across 8 local authorities in Greater Manchester.

Older people are central to the programme and will work to connect communities and people through the creation of relationships, helping to develop places that are age-friendly and that will empower people to live fulfilling lives as they age.

The understanding of the range of very different experiences of ageing is central to the programme, which will look to address lifelong inequalities associated with class, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, and the impact of these on quality of life in old age.

MICRA is a partner in the research, in particular advising on qualitative research and devising co-research methods. Co-research offers older people greater control over the research and design process, with the aim of developing sustainable projects that are relevant to their needs. 

Project aims

  • Connect communities and older people across Greater Manchester.
  • Help to create places that are age-friendly and that will empower people to live fulfilling lives as they age.
  • Embrace the celebration of age, creating the opportunity for people to contribute to the ageing agenda, offering choice and helping them to make more and better connections so that they can live fulfilling lives in their communities. 

Principal investigator

Professor Chris Phillipson, Sociology and Social Gerontology, School of Social Sciences, The University of Manchester

Lead researcher

Dr Luciana Lang, Research Fellow, School of Social Sciences, The University of Manchester

PhD researcher

Natalie Cotterell, School of Social Sciences, The University of Manchester 

Funder and funding period

Big Lottery Fund. Fulfilling Lives: Ageing Better, April 2015 – March 2021

Partner organisations

Contact

Email: luciana.lang@manchester.ac.uk

More information

Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation - Ambition for Ageing