Hello! I’m Victoria and I will be working here at Macc for the next year as part of a Graduate training Programme called Charityworks.
At Macc, I’m part of the Active Communities team and I’ll be working primarily on the facilitation of the Greater Manchester Older People’s Network.
It seems only fitting then that I use my first blog post as an opportunity to explain what exactly the Greater Manchester Older People’s Network is.
The Greater Manchester Older People’s Network, or the GMOPN as we refer to it, was established in 2015 and its main aim is to inform and influence Greater Manchester strategies that affect older people. Macc facilitates the Network and Ambition for Ageing helps to support it. Anyone who is 50 or over and living in Greater Manchester is welcome to join and the network members meet on a regular basis to discuss matters of concern to older people, share ideas and develop ways to improve or change policies and services for older people.
Although I’ve only been working here for just over 6 weeks, I’ve already learnt so much about the amazing things that the GMOPN and its members have achieved. For example, 2 members of the Action Group have recently travelled to the House of Lords in London to be a part of the Select Committee on Intergenerational Fairness and Provision, discussing their experiences of housing, jobs and the role of communities. And later this week, I will be accompanying another member, Elaine Unegbu to Kent, where she will be part of a panel discussion, talking about her role as a Culture Champion.
It’s been a real pleasure to meet members of the Action Group, who meet to plan all aspects of the work of the network. I’m already looking forward to the next Action Group meeting to hear about all the wonderful things that our members have been involved with in the community. I feel very lucky to be involved with such a great cause and helping to make Manchester an inclusive, more age-friendly place to live.
Thanks for reading!
Victoria – Project Support Worker