The Flintshire 50 + Advisory Group would love to hear from people interested in volunteering and participating in its work. One position is available, so if you are interested, please get in touch as from now (5th of July 2010) until noon on the 13th of August. For a complete description of the role and conditions, click here to see it in a Word document.

Back to top

The Flintshire 50+ Advisory group aims to provide people over 50 in Flintshire with a strong voice to local and national bodies.

Flintshire Neighbourhood Watch Association has been given the task to help and implement this aspect of the Older People’s Strategy throughout the county. Ella Ellis, our 50+ Development worker, is visiting local groups around the county to help them in understanding the benefits of participating in this strategy, and the ways to go about it.

The Role of the 50+ Advisory Group

The group is working successfully with key partner agencies from the statutory, voluntary and private sectors, acting as a major consultee on proposals and policies that affect older people.

The 50+ Advisory group’s membership is made up of representatives from local 50+ Forum Groups, older people’s social clubs and 4 independent members. The group will be meeting every 6 weeks from January 2010 and is currently supported in person by the 50+ Forum Development Worker who currently provides administration for the group.

Back to top

If you are a group for over 50s, have a constitution and are members of FLVC (Flintshire Local Voluntary Council), you may be able to send two representatives to the 50+ Advisory Group meetings.

Being a member of the 50+ Advisory Group gives groups across Flintshire the opportunity to share problems, successes and information in general.

Many have already benefited from this system.

Back to top

How good is the quality and choice of public transport? How easy do you find getting to your doctor, the shops or your bank?

Lack of services and poor design of neighbourhoods can sometimes lead to older people being cut off within communities and some older people can experience poverty, health problems and isolation as a result.

Towards Common Ground is a campaign for age friendly communities that Age Concern Cymru and Help the Aged in Wales have launched.

As part of this campaign the Community Calculator will allow you to ‘age proof’ your community according to ten key factors. These factors have been identified by older people across Wales. They are:

• local amenities
• public transport
• public seating and places to rest
• public toilets, pavements
• neighbourhood safety
• places to meet
• information and advice
• your home
• your voice.

You will score each factor out of 10, giving an overall score out of 100. The higher the overall score, the more age friendly your community.

What can you do?

The campaign would greatly benefit from your support through completing a Community Calculator and returning it to Age Concern Cymru and Help the Aged in Wales. We also welcome requests for copies for community and social groups in your area. You would require one copy per person.

We would like to get as many older people across Wales to fill in the Community Calculator as possible. If you would like free copies, please:

• Call Mared Williams on 029 2043 1571.
• Email communitycalculator@agecymru.org.uk.
• Write to her at Age Concern Cymru and Help the Aged in Wales, Tŷ John Pathy, 13 – 14 Neptune Court, Vanguard Way, Cardiff CF24 5PB.

Alternatively, Flintshire Neighbourhood Watch is making the Community Calculator available for download in English or Welsh.

From Spring 2010, Age Concern and Help the Aged will be known as Age Cymru / O wanwyn 2010 ymlaen ein henw fydd Age Cymru.

Link to their website here.

Back to top

Older People’s groups in Flintshire are able to benefit from the free loan of certain items of electrical equipment, thanks to £3000 of funding from the Older People’s Strategy in Flintshire.

Flintshire Neighbourhood Watch Association, which manages the 50+ Forum Development Project in Flintshire, are storing the equipment, and facilitating its loan to groups who may wish to use it for meetings or social events.

Items available include:

• PA system
• Laptop computer complete with software
• Camera with memory cards and charger
• Portable room loop system
• Portable CD player
• Multimedia projector and screen
• Dictaphone
• Extension leads

Training is given to groups when they pick up the equipment and handy guidance sheets are available (developed in partnership with older people’s representatives).

The equipment has already been used by older peoples groups at events such as Open meetings, Karaoke Luncheon Clubs, Summer Fairs, monthly meetings and Community Engagement days.

If any 50+ groups in Flintshire are interested in hiring the equipment for an event, there is a request form available to download. To know more about the project, please contact the Flintshire Neighbourhood Watch Office on 01352 708118.

Back to top

The 101 service is a 24-hour telephone number which can be used when an incident is not an emergency. This number will be of great value to older people and those who are more vulnerable. It is a short number and easy to remember. For those who have speech or hearing impairments the service has been tailored to help them by using the TextDirect/TypeTalk service by calling 18001 101.

Examples of when you might want to dial 101 include reporting a non-emergency crime, reporting anti-social behaviour, reporting drunken or rowdy behaviour, reporting dangerous driving or to speak to the police about a general enquiry.

On March 1st, a Roadshow visited police stations and older peoples complexes and 50+ network groups in Deeside, Flint, Mostyn, and Buckley to promote the number.

This consisted of part of the fleet of Flintshire Neighbourhood Watch, which included the innovative intergeneration Y-KOPS “Youth - Keeping Older People Safe” vehicle - part of the Y-Factor youth programme, and the Y-Factor’s very own mascot – ‘Y Ddraig Melin’ in the Y-Factor vehicle.

The 101 Roadshow also linked in with the 50+Forum Development Project by visiting a group in Drury who were receiving a presentation relating to the older peoples strategy and learning about the 50+ Forum Development project.

The 101 number was also promoted at the recent Older Peoples Partnership Network Planning Day, supported by the Older Peoples Champion Cllr Veronica Gay, and the Leader of the Council Cllr Arnold Woolley.
Further information on the 101 number can be obtained by visiting North Wales Police Website www.north-wales.police.uk  or www.fnwa.org.uk.

Back to top

If you are over 50 and want to find out more about becoming involved please contact Ella Ellis, 50+ Forum Development Worker, Flintshire Neighbourhood Watch Association on 0845 6071002, Ext 84137; email ella.ellis@fnwa.org.uk or write to Flintshire Neighbourhood Watch Association, Mold Police Station, King Street, Mold, CH7 1EF.