Anne O'Reilly, Spokesperson for Age Awareness Week with Junior Minister Gerry Kelly, and Jeremy Harbison, Chairperson of the CAP Advisory Panel

On Monday 29 September Junior Minister Kelly launched Northern Ireland's third Age Awareness Week in the Long Gallery, Stormont.  Anne O'Reilly, CAP spokesperson released key findings from research into older people and rights commissioned by CAP to launch Age Awareness Week.

Click here to read more about the week and the research.

Members of Young At Heart Ladies and Mens Clubs and CAP
Stephanie Campbell (CAP); Sadie Hamill (Young At Heart Ladies Club); Attracta Cosgrove (CAP) and Paul Gibney (Young At Heart Mens Club)
Eat! Heat! No treat!

Young At Heart Men’s Club Lurgan and Young At Heart Ladies Club Lurgan together held a very successful seminar in the Waves Leisure Complex Lurgan on Wednesday 1 October to celebrate Age Awareness Week. The event focused on the impact of the rising cost of living on older people and was attended by upwards of 90 people from various clubs and organisations from the Craigavon Borough Area. Young At Heart Ladies performed two dramas highlighting the effects of rising costs of everyday living and Young At Heart Men gave a presentation on today's costs and increases.  Ewa Bibika (TADA Energy Efficiency Coordinator) discussed how to save on heating and fuel costs.

Minnie Johnston speaking at the event
Minnie Johnston, South Belfast Lifestyle Forum

Senior Success - Age Awareness Week event showcases achievements of older people’s forums in South and East Belfast

On 2 October in Dee Street Community Centre, 55 members of local older people’s groups came together with representatives from Belfast City Council, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Translink, Castlereagh District Council and the Eastern Health and Social Services Patients Council to celebrate their achievements.  Older learners from Grey Matters and Silver Power, members of three older people’s forums from South and East Belfast, who have completed a Changing Ageing Partnership course on how to lobby during the past 2 years gave examples of what they had learned, and how the experience had given them confidence to tackle officials from different agencies and so achieve change and improvements in service provision.   Mrs Minnie Johnston (South Belfast Lifestyle Forum) said ‘…we are a power to be reckoned with.’  Jim Stitt ((Belfast East Seniors Forum) said ‘from acorns large trees grow.’

Read more about this event.

Speakers at the Ballyhalbert Park Home Residents Committee event
Stephanie Campbell (CAP); Rita Massey, Elsie Miskimmin and Jack Moore (Residents Committee); Gavin Logan (Director of Lifestyle) and John McCallister, MLA South Down

Burning issue discussed by Ballyhalbert Park Homes Residents Committe during Age Awareness Week event 

Age Awareness Week was celebrated by Ballyhalbert Park Homes Residents Committee in the form of an event, supported by the Changing Ageing Partnership (CAP), held in Ballywalter Community Hall on Friday 3 October 2008.  John McCallister UUP MLA for South Down was guest speaker.  He discussed the Private Members Bill he is presently working on to extend legal protection  to Caravan and Park Home owners and site owners.  Such protection does not currently exist in Northern Ireland.  John also stressed the importance of lobbying your local councillor and Members of the Legislative Assembly.  Also in attendance were the members of Ballyhalbert Park Homes Residents Committee, Mr Gavin Logan, Director of Lifestyle Homes and Stephanie Campbell (CAP Development Officer).