Council to host virtual Age Friendly Conference

9th March 2021

PLEASE NOTE: This article is over 1 year old and may not contain the most up-to-date information.

The annual Age Friendly Conference, organised by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, in partnership with South West Age Partnership, and funded by the Public Health Agency (PHA) will take place, virtually, commencing at 11.00 am on Wednesday 24 March 2021.

The event, which will have morning and afternoon sessions will take place via zoom due to restrictions currently in place to curb the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

The conference will provide those in attendance with the opportunity to hear from a number of speakers including Gerry Farrell, Be Well, and Morag McDonald, Crafting the Soul.

Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Diana Armstrong said;

“There is no doubt that Covid-19 has had a significant impact on our lives and has presented major challenges, not least of all to older people. Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is committed to working with other stakeholders such as the Public Health Agency which has funded and continues to fund our Age Friendly work, and South West Age Partnership who work closely with the Council, to ensure that our district is a more age friendly district.

This conference is an important vehicle for older people to have their say and I am delighted that despite not being able to meet in person, we have still been able to host this conference albeit virtually thanks to the miracle of technology. I have been impressed by the manner in which older people have embraced new technology during this time and many of them have been supported in learning new skills by the Council and South West Age Partnership.

I believe that it is important that as the percentage of our retirement age population increases, more issues pertinent to their specific needs must be addressed and events such as this conference are a means of teasing out those issues and developing an interagency approach to tackle them.”

Rosemary McMullen Vice -Chair of South West Age Partnership;

“ I am delighted that we have been able to work in partnership with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council again to deliver this conference despite the current restrictions. The pandemic has shown how resilient and adaptable older people are with many now experienced in online social engagement”.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is committed to establishing a District in which our older people can live active and engaged lives, making a valuable contribution to their communities. Such is the Council’s commitment to achieving this, a core objective of the Fermanagh and Omagh Community Plan 2030, which has been developed by the Council in partnership with other key statutory stakeholders, is to help older people to live more independent, engaged and socially connected lives.

The morning session will finish on a high note with local renowned singer Andrew Irwin accompanied by Jim McGrath.

Attendees are invited to return in the afternoon for an informal discussion on engaging older people looking at different ways to deliver projects and activities.

Conference packs and refreshments will be provided to all participants and will be delivered by the Rural Transport Networks.

To book a place on the conference, please contact Alison Forbes, South West Age Partnership by email at aforbes@southwestagepartnership.co.uk not later than Monday 15 March 2021.

As numbers are limited, please book early to avoid disappointment.