The Time to Shine Steering Group to look at the Age Friendly Charter has met twice, and we are off to a great start. Sixteen people attended the first meeting and twelve came to the second, with a few other people having expressed interest but who haven’t been able to make it to a meeting yet. 

During the first gathering we introduced ourselves and talked about our experience and interest in making Leeds more age friendly. We decided to meet monthly for now, for two hours on an afternoon, and also set some ground rules for the group. 

Members have a wide range of professional and personal experience, including working in psychiatry, nursing, teaching and elderly care. All share a vision of taking an active role in their community. 

During the second meeting, we began discussing what some of the priorities from the Charter should be. The first few items to come out of that discussion were repairs to streets made by the Council, age-friendly customer service from bus drivers, and increased access to information (including online and offline). 

In the next meetings, we will talk about good strategies for addressing these areas and how to convince the relevant players to come on board with making the pledges in the Charter a reality. 

The group is still open for people to join. Residents of South Leeds and members of BAME communities are particularly encouraged to get involved. If you are over 50 and would like to have a say, please get in touch with Emily to find out more: emily@opforum.org.uk or 0113 244 1697.