Festival for older people engagement
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The Festival for Older People is facilitated and delivered by Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire (HWCB), in partnership with Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC), Aragon Housing Association’s Resident Involvement Group (ROAR), South Essex Partnership Trust (SEPT) and Flitwick Town Council as a local initiative to complement the Government’s national campaign, ‘Full of Life’, designed to celebrate the life of older people and the contribution they make to society.
The Festival for Older People is an annual event held in Central Bedfordshire in October, to coincide with International Older Peoples Day. The theme for this years Festival was ‘Taking a stand against ageism’. The Festival attracts a large audience from across Bedfordshire. Exhibitors are invited to attend and display literature and materials designed to offer advice, information, guidance and support to older people living locally.
This year’s exhibitors included representatives from different services within the Council, Aragon Housing Association, South Essex Partnership Trust and Flitwick Town Council, who provided a wealth of information about Social Care, Leisure and Culture, Trading Standards, Public Health, Housing and Accommodation and Community Services. Many other organisations joined us to exhibit offering support to older people including Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, Age UK, Carers in Beds, Sight Concern and The Royal British Legion. A full list exhibitors can be found on Page 9.
Many local volunteers kindly gave their support to the Festival and were a great help on the day. Volunteers guided visitors to various rooms to view many different stands, offering information about exhibitors and the entertainment programme. They also handed out information about the event at reception including the programme for the day, helped to serve refreshments throughout the day, and encouraged visitors to complete feedback about the event.