Here is a brief selection of our recent work, and what we expect to be doing next month. It’s not comprehensive, but we hope it gives a flavour of the range of activities that we’re involved with.

In June, among other activities, we have…

• supported a campaign to encourage more older people to claim Pension Credit – £1.7 billion a year is unclaimed!
• been exploring AI – directly in our own work, and the wider implications for older people..
• begun to use the results of Trending Elders, our new quarterly survey, with Leeds & York Partnership Foundation Trust colleagues (on older people’s mental health priorities); in meetings with commissioners and with colleagues working on equalities.
• promoted the vital role of our partners and members,through a Twitter campaign around Small Charity Week.
• ran a collection of short online courses for staff and volunteers who want to know more about effective ways to make connections – as part of Loneliness Awareness Week..
• launched the extended Good Practice Mentor programme, which will spend the next 3 years sharing learning from Time to Shine
• supported the 8-Day Northern Man Festival, run by Men’s Health Unlimited, attended by over 1,000 people (about 800 men), across 10 events including sports, music and men’s health events.
• arranged for Professor Ben Hine (a leading academic in parental conflict) to share his research at the city-wide Suicide Prevention Network.
• held three Dementia Friends sessions for staff/volunteers at Zurich, Horsforth Golf Club and Carers Leeds.
• attended a Taxi and Private Hire review meeting
• launched a new referral form for the Enhance Programme opening up options for referrals from adult social care and other health and social care partners
• interviewed for a new Friendly Communities Officer
• been, with the Age Friendly Steering Group, to Leeds train station to meet with  Network Rail for an Age Friendly site visit.
• spoken about the history of Age Friendly Leeds and Age & Dementia Friendly Businesses at Brighton’s Age of Wisdom
• published an end of programme summary for Travel Connections
• attended Ofcom’s Making Sense of Media Roadshow in Bangor to look at AI and its impact on media literacy.
• said goodbye to Travel Connections Programme Manager Mark Woodsworth, an excellent colleague, at the end of his contract

In July 2023, we expect to…

• send out our 2nd Trending Elders survey, and grow the list of regular respondents.
• work with Forum Central to open and distribute the first round of Household Support Fund grants to third sector organisations.
• open the 2023 round of Hey  Neighbour grants supporting neighbourhood action in local communities in Leeds.
• start conversations with organisations across England who are interested in learning more about combating loneliness, as part of the GPM programme
• appoint a new Friendly Communities Officer
• host the third Leeds Dementia Friendly Steering Group
• publish an evaluation report on Travel Connections
• hear the outcome of two funding bids relating to transport and older people
• use quarterly monitoring returns to report on the progress of BOSS and Enhance

Rob Cook
Communications Officer