Agenda and minutes

Light Refreshments on arrival

Cllr Jonathon Seed – Chairman of the Melksham Area Board and Cllr Martin Pain – Chairman of Melksham Seniors Forum welcomed everyone to the Melksham Assembly Hall and to a special Age Friendly Melksham Area Board meeting.

Cllr Seed advised that Melksham was a member of the UK Network of Age-Friendly Communities and was the first, and still one of the very few, market towns signed up to a framework for making towns and cities more age-friendly.

Welcome by Chairmen – Cllr Jonathon Seed and Cllr Martin Pain

Keynote Address: The State of Ageing in 2019

-        Nayyara Tabassum, Evidence Officer, Centre for Ageing Better 

Smart meters, energy efficiency, damp and condensation, fuel poverty, funding and schemes for home improvements, budgeting, water saving, managing bills, fuel debt, discounts

-        Joe Pitt, Energy Advisor, Warm and Safe Wiltshire

Themed Tables:

SUPPORTED LIVING

WORK AND FINANCIAL SECURITY

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

COMBATTING SOCIAL ISOLATION

ACCESSIBILITY AND TRANSPORT

END OF LIFE CARE

Nayyara Tabassum - Evidence Officer, Centre for Ageing Better gave the Keynote Address - The State of Ageing in 2019.

Joe Pitt, Energy Advisor, Warm and Safe Wiltshire gave a presentation which highlighted Smart meters, energy efficiency and funding schemes for home improvements for older people.

Attendees were asked to join one of the themed tables where a facilitator would guide introductions and discussion of the issues and priority actions.

Table themes were:

·         Supported Living - facilitated by Vicky Bodman and Laura Young, Wiltshire Council Housing

·         Work and Financial Security - facilitated by Nayyara Tabassum, Centre for Ageing Better

·         Health & Wellbeing - facilitated by Dr Jonathan Osborn, Giffords Surgery

·         Combatting Social Isolation - facilitated by Teresa Strange, Melksham Without Parish Clerk

·         Accessibility and Transport - facilitated by George Brown, Melksham Community Transport

·         End of Life Care - facilitated by Chris Guest, Majesticare (Blenheim House)

Table responses were then recorded on large sheets of paper, these would be collated and the findings presented at a future Melksham Area Board meeting.

Attendees are asked to join one of the themed tables where a facilitator will guide introductions and discussion of the issues and priority actions.

Attendees then took part in two discussion sessions, working on two separate themes.

The outcomes were then displayed, with the attendees given the opportunity to view the other discussion groups outcomes.

Next steps for the Forum 55 Seniors – Cllr Martin Pain

Next Steps for the Age Friendly Melksham Initiative – Cllr Jon Hubbard

Cllr Jon Hubbard highlighted the work of the Age-Friendly Melksham Steering Group, which had established a collaborative process with Melksham stakeholders to ensure the voices of older people were meaningfully involved in plans to make Melksham a more age-friendly town.

That it had held consultative meetings and had begun to plan actions across a range of themes to deliver a society in which everyone enjoys later life. This work now needed to be taken to the next level, and with adequate resourcing, if it was to make an impact in the Melksham community and on the lives of older people as we hoped.

Cllr Hubbard also highlighted some of the successes that Melksham had seen over the past 12 months, these included:

·         The Community Benches Scheme

·         The re-opening of Public Toilets in town centre

·         Melksham Community Expo

·         New fitness equipment installed in the King George V playing fields

A report back on this event and a bid for resources would be made to the Melksham Area Board on Wednesday 13 November, to be held at Bowerhill Village Hall at 7pm.

Cllr Martin Pain highlighted the work of the Forum 55, which continued to run a varied programme of activities for its members. As well as working with the local authorities to shape and deliver the Age Friendly initiative, the Forum provided regular activities at the Riverside Cub and Forest Community Centre which includes seated sports, talks, trips and other friendship activities for older people.

The Forum had recently secured the services of the lottery funded “Healthier Communities” project and the Community Health Trainer to deliver a programme of healthy lifestyle advice and physical exercise to its members.             

Cllr Martin Pain also paid tribute to Brian Warwick for his hard work in highlighting the issues facing Melksham’s older residents.

Thanks were also given to former Melksham Community Engagement Manager Rhys Schell and the members of the steering group for their hard work highlighting older peoples issues in the Melksham community area.

The attendees were thanked for taking part in an informative and engaging meeting.