Over 55's Forum for Winchester
Following on from the hugely successful Older People’s Information Day that took place at the Winchester Discovery Centre last month, Winchester City Council is now supporting the development of an ‘Over 55s Action Forum’ for the district.
Feedback from our Information Day in October showed that older people are very keen to work directly with the City Council to make sure that resources are targeted precisely at the services and amenities that matter to older people.
Councillor John Cooper, Winchester’s Portfolio Holder for Communities & Safety and Deputy Leader of the City Council said:
“This is exactly the kind of challenge and quality control we need. The City Council is committed to working with partner organisations to become more responsive to older people’s needs across the full range of services.”
He added: “I have no doubt that our local Older Person's Partnership will now go from strength to strength. Following on from this excellent start, we will now be able to regularly engage with older people throughout the district”.
Gill Sweeney from HCC Adult Services Department and Chair of the Winchester District Older People’s Partnership said:
“listening to the views of older people and giving them a voice is one of our key priorities. I was absolutely delighted by the enthusiasm and energy of those who attended the first meeting of the ‘Over 55s Forum’.
It is clear that issues of importance to older people are not just restricted to those of health, housing and social care – other services such as leisure and culture, lifelong learning and safer communities can make a huge contribution to the overall wellbeing of older people; enabling them to lead long, healthy, fulfilling and active lives.”
The number of older people in the Winchester District is expected to increase significantly over the next few years. The Winchester District Older People’s Partnership will be working to ensure that service providers are prepared for the impact of this change.