Local Age UKs come together to tackle older people's issues in Greater Manchester

A group of local Age UKs have joined forces to tackle issues facing older people in Greater Manchester.

The Age UK Greater Manchester Collective - consisting of Age UK Bolton, Age UK Oldham, Age UK Wigan Borough, Age UK Stockport and Age UK Tameside, Age UK Manchester and Age UK Salford and Trafford - met this week to discuss priorities for older people in Greater Manchester for the year ahead.

Last year, the Collective was part of the campaign to lift the pre-9.30am restriction on free bus travel for older and disabled people. As of 1st march, the restriction has now been lifted, meaning people with an older or disabled person's travel pass can travel for free on Bee Network buses at any time.

The session was facilitated by Endrick Consulting Limited, who have named Age UK Bolton as their charity partner for the past two years, gifting four pro bono consultancy days annually.

Age UK Manchester hosted the session at its offices in Manchester city centre, where leaders from the local Age UKs were joined by representatives from Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Lauren McKechnie, Chief Executive of Age UK Bolton and Chair of the Age UK Greater Manchester Collective, said: "If we want to stay agile, responsive and relevant for current and future generations of older people, how we organise ourselves matters. So does how intentionally we centre the voice of older people in strategy, policy and decision-making across Greater Manchester."

Lauren added that she is "hugely grateful to everyone who showed up and leaned in. It’s a real privilege to continue as Chair of the Age UK Greater Manchester Collective, and I look forward to sharing what comes next – in action, not just intent."

Help us change how we age in Greater Manchester. With the backing of funders and policymakers in Greater Manchester, we can work together to better support 780,000 older people in our region.

Want to work with the Age UK Greater Manchester Collective? Get in touch for collaboration, policy discussions and  partnership opportunities at info@ageukgmcollective.org.uk.