Ageing Better in BirminghamConnecting people over 50 in Birmingham to their communities. Welcome to Ageing Better in Birmingham's Learning Depository! The programme is closing down and this website functions as an archive and collection of learning from the programme's seven years of delivery. Ageing Better in Birmingham began in 2015 to reduce loneliness and social isolation amongst people over 50 and to help them to live fulfilling lives. It was funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and was one of 14 Ageing Better programmes in England working to explore what works in reducing loneliness and isolation through a test and learn approach. It was delivered by a partnership of organisations across the city, led by Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC). It built upon the strengths and skills of individuals and groups to help create sustainable change within communities. Together, we reached over 10,300 people across the city. Here you can find out more about what the programme achieved, information about social isolation and loneliness in Birmingham and also resources to support the programme's legacy. Have a browse! Ageing Better in Birmingham 2015 -2022 Infographic Find out how we worked to get Birmingham's older citizens connected Useful resources & learning Back to main site About Resources Gallery Community Development Practice Hub Ageing Better Gallery Welcome to the #AgeingBetter gallery! The gallery is made up of photographs that show local citizens taking action to help people over 50 to have more social connections. They were taken during the programme's lifetime (2016 - 2022) across Birmingham. They include photographs of our Age of Experience group members, all of whom had lived experience of loneliness and social isolation and made valuable contributions to our programme, both strategically and in delivery. If you scroll down, you will also see photographs from activities that were set up by local people with the aim of reaching isolated people over 50 and connecting them with others in their local community. Our Ageing Better Fund supported over 300 groups with funding to start new activities across all parts of the city. You can read more about that here. Some of Birmingham's over-50s visited the theatre as part of regular group activities to help people connect. Our first ever Nordic Walking group! The programme funded first aid training for the group and paid for official walk leader training. The aim was to support the group to continue to run safely for years to come without relying on organisations or grants. The programme funded a group where young people got the chance to share their IT skills with older people from the Chinese community. This included how to connect on WeChat and how to use iPads. The programme's annual event, named 'Spring Forward' by our Experts by Experience, attracted 100s of people over 50 to a day of celebrations, awards, entertainment, speed-friending and workshops. The events were successful thanks to them being organised by and for people over 50 in Birmingham. Our Ageing Better Awards recognised local citizens who set up an activity for the benefit of socially isolated and lonely people over 50 in their community. The Awards were co-produced with people with lived experience and reached older carers, the older LGBT community, and all parts of the city. Some of the more unusual activities supported by the programme included a circus skills workshop for older carers. The programme ran a behaviour-change campaign encouraging people to start conversations while out and about. The aim was to increase the number of connections people over 50 have. One of the programme's Local Action Plan projects looked at how citizens couldimprove or change their local environment. Throughout the programme, Ageing Better in Birmingham funded over 330grassroots community groups.