Torbay Community Development Trust worked to deliver Transform Ageing and Ageing Well to support more people to thrive in later life in Torbay.

As well as Ageing Well Torbay, Torbay Community Development Trust was also working on another National Lottery Community Fund-funded programme –  Transform Ageing.

While both Transform Ageing and Ageing Well Torbay are separate and different in their focus and methodology, together the two programmes will deliver better services and products for people in later life in Torbay.   

Ageing Well Torbay is a National Lottery Community Fund-funded test and learn partnership programme lead by Torbay Community Development Trust. It is one of 14 partnerships across the country with the following NLCF Fulfilling Lives – Ageing Better outcomes:

1. Older people are less isolated.
2. Older people are actively involved in communities with their views and participation valued more highly.
3. Older people are more engaged in the design and delivery of services.
4. Services that help reduce isolation are better planned, co-ordinated and delivered.
5. Better evidence is available to influence the services that help reduce isolation for older people in the future.

Torbay Community Development Trust manages the programme and commissions others to deliver test and learn activities. Torbay Community Development Trust is itself delivering the Neighborhoods theme, testing asset based community development with a team of neighborhood based community builders.

The programme runs from Apr 2015- Mar 2021

Torbay Ageing Well outcomes are:

• Older people feel their lives have value and purpose.
• Older people are well connected with friends, in their communities and enjoy where they live.
• Older people have higher personal and service aspirations for later life.
• Older people are valued by the community, older age is celebrated and regarded positively by individuals and the community.

Our work to deliver these outcomes is based on 3 themes:

• Neighborhoods – where the focus is on stimulating connectivity.
• Raising personal and service aspirations by commissioning test and learn projects such as Wellbeing Co-ordinators, delivered by Age UK Torbay and Brixham Does Care.
• Positive Ageing, where we hope to change negative perceptions of ageing and older people.

Transform Ageing  

Transform Ageing was a National Lottery Community Fund-funded programme focused in the south-west of England. It was led by the Design Council working in partnership with UnLtd, the South West Academic Health Science Network and the Centre for Ageing Better. Transform Ageing was championing a design-led approach to enhancing people’s experience of ageing. This unique programme combined social entrepreneurship and community action with world class design practice to drive positive change.

The programme was initially convening people in later life and their friends and families, with health and social care leaders and social entrepreneurs in Torbay to collaboratively explore challenges associated with ageing that resonated in Torbay communities. Following these workshops, we used the insights gathered to shape briefs for social entrepreneurs to respond to with innovative product and service solutions to these local challenges. Transform Ageing provided grant funding to social entrepreneurs to support them to develop new products and services.

More information about Transform Ageing can be found at: http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/what-we-do/transform-ageing

Our role in Transform Ageing

For Transform Ageing, Torbay Community Development Trust was providing support to the programme through their role as a local delivery organisation. This role involved us in;

• Recruiting people to participate in design-led workshops.
• Building capacity within communities to enable design methodologies and techniques to be utilised.
• Supporting workshop participants to undertake community research.
• Working in partnership with UnLtd, to build knowledge about local social entrepreneurs in the area. Transform Ageing is particularly keen to support people in later life to develop their ideas and apply for funding.
• Supporting the assessment of the social entrepreneurs who will be funded. In particular, to make sure the social entrepreneurs supported best meet the needs of the residents of Torbay.
• Supporting local social entrepreneurs to prototype products and services with people in later life living and/or working in Torbay.
• Capturing people’s experience, knowledge and learning from this programme to share as part of a learning network.

For more information about Transform Ageing in Torbay or Ageing Well please call 01803 212638