Praise for the Community Calculator
Published on 28 January 2011 10:30 AM
There was praise at the Welsh Assembly earlier this week for an innovative scheme from Age Cymru .
The Community Calculator is a project developed by the charity to assess the suitability of communities across Wales as places for older people to live in.
Rhea Stevens, Age Cymru's Campaigns Coordinator says:
"The Community Calculator was developed by Age Cymru over two years.
"During this time we consulted the public and older people's groups from right across Wales for their opinions on what makes a community a good place to live in.
"We used the findings of this research to develop the Community Calculator, which has proved to be a very effective way of measuring the suitability of our communities for older people."
The project was widely praised during a plenary session at the Senedd earlier this week.
During the session on Wednesday 26 January, Alyn and Deeside Labour AM Carl Sargeant said of the Community Calculator:
"I am familiar with Age Cymru's Community Calculator and the effect that it has. It is a useful tool to understand what is happening and its impact on our communities."
Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for North Wales, Eleanor Burnham, commented:
"[The Community Calculator] is brilliant because it has a tick-box-and-beyond effect in relation to facilities, for a more meaningful engagement of older people within their communities."
Says Rhea Stevens:
"The Community Calculator has been widely praised by the people who've used it because it is a very effective campaigning tool.
"Age Cymru is also very proud that the Community Calculator has also been so well received and its contribution acknowledged in the corridors of power in Cardiff Bay.
She concludes:
"The popularity of the Community Calculator proves that Age Cymru has tapped into something that is a real concern for older people in Wales today.
"We will continue to work with older people and government at all levels to ensure that communities across the country are meeting the needs of people of all ages".