Current Work (2021-2022)

For the final year of the programme, we will be working with LGBT Foundation to developing a project to support the development of community groups for LGBT people who have shared interests but live outside of dense population centres, guided by our work on engaging with dispersed groups.

Following development work, we will be using a microfunding approach to create activities that bring older LGBT people together to reduce feelings of social isolation and increase social connections.

The Equalities Board (2015-2020)

The Equalities Board, supported by LGBT Foundation, was a group of people who know about discrimination and inequality from life experiences, or because of work, supported by a small staff team. The Board amplified the voices of older people from marginalised communities and made sure they were heard within Ambition for Ageing. It helped to ensure that the local delivery of the programme reached those most at risk of social isolation and kept equalities issues on the agenda. The work of the Equalities Board produced valuable knowledge about equalities in place-based working that contributed to the learning of the Ambition for Ageing programme.

Publications, reports and toolkits by the Equalities Board can be downloaded from the resources page of this website or from the Greater Manchester Older People's Network website.

Contact:

Lawrie Roberts

Pride in Ageing Manager

E: lawrence.roberts@lgbt.foundation

The Greater Manchester Older People’s Network (GMOPN) supported by Macc, provides an opportunity for older people to have a voice in the design, delivery and evaluation of the Ambition for Ageing programme. Established in 2015, is has since grown to over 430 members.

The network has membership from all the boroughs in Greater Manchester and aims to be a representative voice for older people. The network is committed to the following values and principles:

• Being led by older people – the network ensures that older people take a leading role in the network, shaping its direction and priorities.

• Being Age Proud – the network works to celebrate ageing and to emphasise the contributions that older people bring to our society.

• Being representative and inclusive – encouraging the input of older people from all areas of Greater Manchester, from across the age range and representing all voices, including the most marginalised.

Their most recent campaign, Old Frame, New Picture challenged the negative and stereotyped ways that older people are often represented in the media.

For more information, including how you can get involved, please visit their website: www.gmopn.org.uk

Contacts: 

Liz Jones 

Greater Manchester Older People’s Network Development Worker

T: 0161 834 9823

E: liz@macc.org.uk

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) led on the evaluation of the Ambition for Ageing programme. See the full list of reports produced by GMCA below.

As part of our work with GMCA, we also continue to work closely with the GM Ageing Hub and support its work on the development of Age Friendly Communities.

Evaluation reports:

• Interim local evaluation report (2018) 
• Building age-friendly neighbourhoods in Greater Manchester
• Interim local evaluation report (2019)
• Ambition for Ageing Programme Evaluation report (2020)
• Looking Back Whilst Moving Forward: Ambition for Ageing’s lessons learned and their implications for future commissioning (2021)

The Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing (MICRA), based at the University of Manchester, leads on Ambition for Ageing’s research programme.

This work allow us to enable older volunteers and practitioners learn from evidence. MICRA also work alongside our other partners to ensure they are aware of relevant research and thinking on the nature of ageing, social isolation and equalities.

MICRA leads on wider research into how older people can shape service delivery and the issue of equality within older peoples’ provision. In this way they bridge the gap between academic research, policy and practice.

Working closely with MICRA, Ambition for Ageing organises regular seminars addressing a range of topical ageing issues.

Research reports include:

• Social Isolation and Older Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic People in Greater Manchester (2018)
• Social Infrastructure: How shared spaces make communities work (2019)
• Ageing in Place for Minority Ethnic communities (2020)

Contact: 

Chris Phillipson

Professor of Sociology and Social Gerontology

T: 0161 306 6970

E: christopher.phillipson@manchester.ac.uk