Sean contrary to your report Age Friendly town is very much forging ahead except we do not report to Town Team rather than working direct with RCC local businesses and services and to date have completed a walkability tour with various members of the community including local engineer brothers of charity people with impaired vision women with buggies and pedestrians who use footpaths etc on a daily basis.
We have introduced an ‘Age Friendly Charter’ to many Boyle businesses for their efforts to ensure shopping in our town is just that … age friendly! We have collaborated with rural transport ie Local Links and visited a lot of houses in Boyle town to explain the concept.
Especially how they can use the service to and from Roscommon hospital/town which is proving very popular.
We have worked with Boyle Library service to endeavour to roll out a possible outreach service to people who may not be in a position to get to the library.
Just last week I walked with RCC’s local Social Inclusion Officer in and around Boyle town to identify short loop walks (and indeed longer walks) that would be suitable for older people or those with an illness who would still be fit to walk for health reasons a daily short walk and liaised and received feedback from such members of our community.
We also identified areas suitable for outdoor seating in town including the area around the canal where a lot of our seniors like to stroll.
We also were involved in a meeting in King House where trades people were invited to be part of a group offering household services … once they were vetted by gardai … and brochures fir same will be in local citizens office.
We participated on a banking conference in Strokestown where almost the very large audience were seniors giving their well experienced views on how banking in Ireland has let us down. The irascible Mary O’Rourke was a guest speaker and heartening to learn that even politicians fall foul to the incredible arrogance of bankers!
We also had an opportunity to address many CEOs from state organisations such as CIE,
An Post, Expressway (national bus services) in relation to timetables and font size in such and the incompatibility of the bus shelters version of a timetable and what one can get at a bus station.
We also had, at the onset of Boyle Age Friendly Town a meeting with local gardai and a crime prevention safety talk.
We sent around a red hard backed book (x2) for people in town to sign and in time would be forwarded to Manchester Age Friendly City as a token of our condolences to that city on the concert tradgy. These books were left in a number of shops in town.
All reports have been republished. Roscommon partnership and Roscommon Older Peoples Council in conjunction with RCC have been co-partners with Boyle Age Friendly Town inituatives.
So as you see Sean behind the scenes we have been working away with the stakeholders … the citizens … the business community etc. to help make our long neglected town a better place to live.
As your own old slogan went
“Love where you live”
And mine … warts and all.
(Article courtesy of Maire Paul)