The Valuing Older People Team

Non Profit ID card: present your project/organisation/campaign

Questions answered by Patrick Hanfling, Programme Co-ordinator, Valuing Older People Team, Public Health Manchester.

– Where are you based? Manchester, England.

– What are you called? The Valuing Older People Team (VOP).        

– What are you doing and why? As part of our work, we ran a programme that involves 13 connected Intergenerational Projects from 2009 to 2011. The aim of this work was:

– To break down barriers between younger people, older people and the wider community

– To help younger and older people to come together, develop new skills and to improve their local area

– To increase the numbers of younger and older people who volunteer

The projects are based around four themes of shared spaces, shared skills and learning, health and wellbeing and families. They are being delivered through Manchester City Council, the Third Sector and Manchester Universities.

– Do you have a website/email? www.manchester.gov.uk/generationstogether, www.manchester.gov.uk/vop, www.centreforip.org.uk, p.hanfling@manchester.gov.uk

– What makes you so special? We work across the public sector, voluntary sector and academic sectors in the UK. We are the largest team of its type in the UK. We have delivered work that has demonstrated improvement in older people’s lives in Manchester. On top of that we are friendly and don’t take ourselves too seriously.

 

The turning point

– How did you start? For Generations Together, a funding bid of £400,000. This has connected to other areas of work including our new membership of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Network of Age Friendly Cities.

–  What keeps you going every day? Good coffee (especially espresso), using home roasted beans, an Expobar machine and Eurika Mignon grinder. Riesling. Desert wine. Varied and interesting work. A dislike of poverty and social exclusion. Family. Colleagues.

–  Who is your target? Older people who live in Manchester, but also other generations (for example through the Intergenerational programme Generations Together).

– How are you financed? Through Manchester Council, Central Government, NHS Manchester and Third Sector partners.

 

The challenge

– A proud moment? Seeing the difference that Manchester’s Generations Together programme has made in participants lives.  I didn’t realise how much of a difference it would make for people.

– A problem you face? Poverty and social exclusion in Manchester

– Your personal motto when things get hard? “Wherever I go, there I am. But where am I?”

– Another cool project/organisation/campaign you would like to recommend?

www.sensorytrust.org.uk

 

www.manchester.gov.uk/vop, www.manchester.gov.uk/generationstogether, www.centreforip.org.uk