The aim of Culture Champions was to develop age-friendly volunteering and engagement in cultural activities. Our selected providers supported older people to become Culture Champion volunteers, facilitate activity design, and manage small payments to develop new activities.

Culture Champions is a large-scale volunteer ambassador scheme for older people, currently well-established within the city of Manchester and previously managed by Manchester Museum. Culture Champions aimed to engage people over 50 with cultural venues in the city, from museums and theatres to galleries and concert halls. It also aimed to inform, involve and actively engage older people with the variety of cultural activities and events taking place in the city throughout the year.

• Bolton at Home connected existing cultural activists with new Culture Champions to create a network which connected communities across Bolton.  They supported the creation of cultural activity through a range of avenues, including linking creative professionals with groups who wish to develop new projects suited to their needs.

• Bury Art Museum in partnership with the Met, Bury Transport Museum, Bury Fusilier Museum and Age UK Bury provided opportunities for older people to participate in existing projects and create new age-friendly activity. 

• Royal Exchange Theatre delivered Culture Champions in Manchester. The Royal Exchange has a long history of supporting older people to be involved in cultural activity, through initiatives such as the Elders Company, Elders Mondays and Elders Exchange Days. They supported the existing Culture Champions and expanded the network and its reach through a series of outreach activities.

Contact: siobhan.foley@gmcvo.org.uk