Our partners, funders & members

We’re part of the collective voice for the health and social care sector in Leeds. We work closely with our partners to identify what matters most to older people in the city, creating projects and campaigns that make a lasting difference.

How it all fits together

We are a partner organisation in Forum Central. Forum Central is the collective voice for the health and care third sector in Leeds, delivered in partnership by Leeds Older People’s Forum and Volition.

Forum Central connects third sector organisations and has a membership network of around 300 health and care third sector organisations. It works with health and care partners to influence strategic developments, policy and ways of working across health and social care.

This includes links with Leeds City Council, NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Local Care Partnerships (LCPs) in Leeds. As well as third sector partners Voluntary Action Leeds, Leeds Community Foundation and Healthwatch Leeds.

We also work directly with Leeds City Council and the Centre for Ageing Better to apply evidence of ‘what works’ to create a better later life for older residents and tackle social and health inequalities.

Visit the Forum Central website >

Our funders

We are currently funded by:

Our membership network

Membership of Leeds Older People’s Forum is open to any third sector organisations, voluntary organisations or community groups working with older people, including intergenerational work, and reflecting the diversity of the city of Leeds. Many of our member organisations serve their local area as a Neighbourhood Network Scheme.

We have a strong ‘test and learn’ ethos, sharing what we learn with our partners and wider networks through reports, briefings, toolkits and multimedia.

See our full list of member organisations >

Becoming a member organisation

Membership of Leeds Older People’s Forum is important to ensure the voices of older people are heard in Leeds. We currently have over 80 member organisations.

Who can join as a member?

Our members are third sector organisations, voluntary organisations and community groups offering services to people in Leeds. If your organisation or group is involved with older people in health, care or wellbeing – from advocacy to arts projects, carer support to community centres, healthy living to housing – we warmly invite you to become a member.

What are the benefits of membership?

Member organisations can feed into discussions with the statutory sector (such as Leeds City Council and local NHS organisations), to make sure the views and experience of the third sector are represented at this level. There are opportunities for joint working, representation and connections for projects and skill sharing within the network of our members.

Leeds Older People’s Forum membership also includes membership of Forum Central, the health and social care network in Leeds.

Membership supports:

effective work where it is most needed, in areas that affect older people
campaigning on issues that are important to older people
sharing skills, knowledge and experience
a compassionate and proactive network able to respond to change
consultation and representation with our partners and the statutory sector
representation of diverse communities and groups
training and learning opportunities within the network

Members are invited to attend events run by Leeds Older People’s Forum, such as learning sessions, briefings, skill shares, training and conferences (including an annual conference for Neighbourhood Network Schemes).

All our members receive the Forum Central newsletter. Individuals from member organisations may stand for election to our Board of Trustees.

How does my organisation become a member?

We are making some changes to our membership offer and will update here when details are available.

If you’d like to know more, get in touch >