Outstanding Contribution Award For 50+ Forum

The Vale of Glamorgan Council’s 50+ Strategy Forum have won Age Cymru’s Outstanding Contribution Award at their 2016 Gala Dinner and Awards. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The awards ceremony took place on Friday 11 March where the individuals and organisations that make a huge difference to the lives of older people in Wales, were recognised. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The ceremony was opened by the ladies choir, Cor Canna, and hosted by BBC Wales presenter Lucy Owen. A Roald Dahl theme provided the backdrop for the evening, marking the celebration of the 100th birthday of the author. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The outstanding contribution award recognises contributions to creating an age friendly Wales and serving older people, something the 50+ Strategy Forum is fully committed to. The group consists of over 300 members, from 11 cluster groups and in the last year have volunteered around 16,000 hours of their time to age friendly activities. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

In the community, their involvement in working parties has supported vital campaigns including immunisation and screening, falls prevention, reducing hate crime and domestic violence, and digital inclusion. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The forum was applauded for their appreciation of diversity, forging links with the LGBT community, Race Equality First, Diverse Cymru and manning stalls at Cardiff Pride. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

At a regulatory and policy level, the group proactively engaged with bodies including Welsh Government, the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, Public Health Wales and local authorities to champion the rights of older people. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Cabinet Member for Adult Services, Cllr Stuart Egan, said: “The 50+ Forum, fully deserve to be named as winners of Age Cymru’s Award for Outstanding Contribution. As the Vale of Glamorgan Older People’s Champion, I get to witness first-hand the hard work and effort that they put into creating age friendly communities and representing the rights of older people. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“The forum is constantly exploring new ways to support older people in the community, with initiatives such as Low Impact Functional Training to prevent falls, online safety sessions and health checks. Their work truly makes a difference to older people in the Vale of Glamorgan.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

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