During The Festival of Ageing’s opening celebrations, Manchester’s Mayor, Andy Burnham issued his age-friendly communities mayoral challenge. He is asking the voluntary and community sector, public services, and older people’s groups to submit their best age-friendly schemes with a view to helping to create even more age-friendly neighbourhoods across Greater Manchester. 
Submissions will be reviewed by an expert panel chaired by Professor Chris Phillipson from MICRA at The University of Manchester. Other panellists will include representatives from Greater Manchester Older People’s Network, Ambition for Ageing, and the Centre for Ageing Better. Successful applicants will also be offered support to further develop their plans by the Ambition for Ageing programme.
Launched on 2 July, the Mayoral Communities Challenge consists of two phases.
Phase one focuses on communities and neighbourhoods and will concentrate on looking at age-friendly places across Greater Manchester that are making a difference to older people’s everyday lives. The deadline for all phase one submissions is midnight, Saturday 1 December 2018.
Phase two of the challenge - expected to launch in 2019 - will expand on phase one of the age-friendly communities challenge, inviting submissions on wider issues including employment, housing, and culture.
The deadline for Phase one submissions is: Saturday 1 December 2018.
For further information and to get involved, visit: www.ambitionforageing.org.uk/interested-taking-part-gm-mayoral-communities-challenge, or email: [email protected]