Ambition for Ageing eBulletin October 2020
Welcome to the latest issue of our e-bulletin which contains all the latest updates from Ambition for Ageing and our partners, and other ageing related news and events.
Please feel free to forward this bulletin onto your colleagues, contacts and networks who can subscribe to receive their own copy by clicking here.
Ambition for Ageing (AfA)
Valuable not Vulnerable
Beginning on International Day of Older Persons on 1st October, and throughout the month of October, we are a part of a campaign highlighting the crucial roles older people have played in the city region during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Valuable not Vulnerable campaign is led by the Greater Manchester Ageing Hub at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority but is the product of the ageing eco-system in the region which includes multiple groups and organisations across a number of sectors.
Keep an eye on our Twitter feed throughout October where we will continue to share fun and inspiring stories of older people with the hastag #ValuablenotVulnerable
Nicola Waterworth, Greater Manchester Partnership Manager at the Centre for Ageing Better, has written a blog detailing the campaign.
Equalities Board supported by LGBT Foundation
Equalities and Ageing Digest #4: Equality in Transport
Our Equalities Board team have been looking into topics of interest to older people from an equalities perspective in order to show how different forms of discrimination can cross over and create a deeper experience of inequality. The most recent digest looks at Equality in Transport.
Event: Respected and Connected
Online, 15th October, 2pm – 4pm
On 15th October, you can join members and staff of the Equalities Board to celebrate their work as part of the Ambition for Ageing programme. In the event we will hear about some of their work and learning, and from their members on what it means to be respected and connected.
Please contact Clare Bonetree if you would like to attend: clare.bonetree@lgbt.foundation, or telephone: 07858 152 715 (Monday, Wednesday or Thursday).
GM Older People's Network (GMOPN) supported by Macc
Old Frame New Picture Photography Competition
Our partners, the Greater Manchester Older People’s Network, have launched a photography completion designed to challenge the negative and stereotyped ways older people are represented in the media, something that has become even more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They are delighted to invite you and your friends, family and colleagues to submit your photographs to their competition, celebrating and promoting positive and realistic images of older people in Greater Manchester, which celebrate the diversity of older people’s lives and their contributions to society.
Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing (MICRA)
Seminar: Covid-19 and the Future of Residential Care
Online, Tuesday 27th October
Care homes are one of the sectors that have been worst hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. In this seminar, we will discuss the impact of Covid-19 in residential care settings, and consider what this means for future policy, regulation, and research within the sector.
Other News and Events
Black History Month
October is Black History Month in the UK, an event that has been celebrated nationwide for more than 30 years. There’s a lot going on across Greater Manchester to celebrate;
- Event: Voices for Freedom – An online poetry event hosted by Research in Arts and Humanities at Manchester Met, 15th October from 7:30pm.
- Black History Month at HOME: With a special programme of music, activities and online events, there is every chance to explore the wealth of Black talent on screen, on stage and online.
- Manchester Literature Festival: Online events will feature conversations with leading national and international black authors, activists, poets and hosts, 23rd to 25th October.
- Images of Protest at the People’s History Museum: An exhibit featuring the images of photographer Jake Hardy, who attended the Black Lives Matter protests in Manchester during May and June 2020.
- Black History Month at Oldham Libraries: An exhibit will feature Syd Shelton: Rock Against Racism.
- Manchester Libraries share a number of events, craft sessions and opportunities to celebrate.
GM Wellbeing Grants
GMCVO, working in partnership with 10GM, have launched the third stage of a grants programme to support adult mental wellbeing in communities of identity or experience. Micro grants of £100 - £500 are available to small, grass roots voluntary and community groups.
Guide to inclusion in virtual meetings
GMCVO’s GM’s Hidden Talent programme have created a guide providing tips on how to include people in virtual meetings. Whilst designed for young people, this guide is useful for any group you may be engaging with.
Elements that may be second nature to professionals, such as etiquette, checking emails, preparing for meetings, understanding sector-related jargon, and having the confidence to speak in meetings, have proved a barrier.
Report: Homes, Health and COVID-19
In partnership with The King's Fund, the Centre for Ageing Better have produced this report summarising the role and impact of poor-quality housing on health, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Flexible working for over 50s – A toolkit for employers
This toolkit from the Centre for Ageing Better sets out to maximise the benefits of flexible working for both businesses and individuals.
Competition to design age-positive icons
The Centre for Ageing Better have launched a competition – backed by Public Health England – to design age-positive icons that can replace the negative symbols commonly used to represent people in later life. The competition will close on 4pm, Friday 16 October.
Report: Understanding mental health in later life
In this new report, Independant Age look at the life events and circumstances that can affect people's mental health in later life. These include things like bereavement, loneliness, ill health and caring responsibilities. It highlights the common barriers and makes recommendations for what needs to change to improve support for older people and ensure they can live a mentally healthy later life.
Helping Those with Hearing Loss During COVID-19
To help you or a loved one get a firmer grasp on how to help those with hearing loss deal with COVID-19, Clear Living have compiled a few tips and resources.
Applications open for the new Race Equality Panel for Greater Manchester
The Greater Manchester Race Equality Panel aims to address the systemic inequalities, racism and discrimination which disadvantage the people of Greater Manchester because of their culture, ethnicity or race.
For further info and to apply, please follow the link below. Applications deadline: Sunday 18th October 2020
Greater Manchester's Big Mental Wellbeing Conversation
People in Greater Manchester are being asked to join a conversation about their mental wellbeing, to discover how they feel, what worries them, and what they think can be done to make a positive difference to where they live.
LGBTQ+ Festival of Happiness
This is a free online festival for the LGBT communities of Greater Manchester and beyond.
It begins with a week of activity and ends with follow-on weekly sessions into 2021.
Data for Good: The Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector in Britain
Online, 11th November
GMCVO and the UK Data Service (University of Manchester) are hosting an online workshop about how voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations use data to inform their work.
Research Network meeting: Change in the Making study
Online, 20th November
Rob Macmillan, Sheffield Hallam University will discuss the Change in the Making study, which followed a small group of voluntary organisations over ten years. The session will provide research network members with insight into the methodological challenges of conducting research over a long period of time.