Ards and North Down Borough Council has launched its Age Friendly Strategy and Action Plan for 2023-2027, providing a commitment to ensure the Borough continues to be a great place to live and grow older. 

The Strategy and Action Plan will build on the success of the 2019-2022 Plan which resulted in the formation of the Over 50s Council. The Over 50s Council is a group of people aged over 50 who live in Ards and North Down. They have been instrumental in helping to identify issues that are important to people in the Borough as they get older and have been involved in the development of the 2023-2027 Action Plan.

Ards and North Down’s demographic profile will change significantly over the next 10 to 20 years, with a higher proportion of people being in the older age brackets. Between 2011 and 2021, the number of people aged over 65 increased from 27,692 (17.7% of the Borough’s total population) to 36,226 (22.1%). 

The Borough is recognised as having an ageing population and older people provide a valuable contribution to our Borough. The Strategy and Action Plan strives to ensure that provisions are made to cater for the increasing number of older people in our Borough, helping them lead active and fulfilled lives.

The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Jennifer Gilmour, said:

“Significant progress towards being Age Friendly was made during the span of the first Strategy between 2019-2022. During that time, an Over 50s Council was established, walkability audits have been piloted, a Big Guide to Age Friendly Services and Support has been published, and numerous Age Friendly roadshows and activities have taken place. I look forward to seeing how the new Strategy and Action Plan, through increased collaboration with all our partners, enables us to make all communities across Ards and North Down Age Friendly.”

Jeff Scroggie, Health & Social Wellbeing Improvement Manager at the Public Health Agency (PHA), said:

“The fact that people are living longer compared to a century ago is a triumph of medicine and public health. It is something to celebrate, but alongside this we have a collective responsibility to ensure that as people age they remain healthy, active, independent and enjoy a good quality of life. It’s no longer just about life expectancy but about the quality of those years. An age-friendly community is a place where people of all ages are able to live healthy and active.  The Public Health Agency is delighted to be able to support this initiative in Ards and North Down and across all 11 councils in Northern Ireland.”

For more information about Age Friendly, visit www.ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk/agefriendly.