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Flintshire receives membership from the World Health Organisation

Published: 17/05/2023

Flintshire has received the accolade of becoming a member of the Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities.  Established by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2010, the Age-friendly network connects cities, communities, and organisations across the world with a shared vision of making their communities a great place to grow older.

Flintshire joins more than 1400 cities, counties, and communities across 51 countries around the world in being recognised as working to improve the age-friendliness in their area.  As the second community in Wales to achieve membership, along with the city of Cardiff, this supports the Welsh Government’s vision for Wales to be an age friendly nation where people of all ages are supported to live and age well and can participate in their community.

Membership was granted following submission of a plan for developing age-friendly communities in Flintshire.  The plan provides evidence of existing age-friendly practices and identifies priorities for further actions that will be developed collaboratively with people in the community to make Flintshire a more age-friendly place.  

Flintshire’s Age-friendly Champion, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Social Services and Wellbeing, Councillor Christine Jones, said:

“I am delighted to confirm our successful application for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities status. The application, co-ordinated by the Ageing Well team in Social Services clearly demonstrates the extent to which the council is working with partners and communities to develop projects and initiatives that will enable people of all ages to age well.

Of course, Age-Friendly network membership does not mean our work is done.  Membership reaffirms our commitment to work with partners to make age-friendly improvements in communities across Flintshire. It also provides opportunities to share experience and learn from network members across the world.”

Older People's Commissioner for Wales, Heléna Herklots CBE, said:

“I would like to congratulate Flintshire on joining the World Health Organisation’s Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities as part of its work to make its communities more age friendly. This reaffirms the Council’s commitment to ensuring all of its residents are supported to age well and demonstrates the progress we are making in Wales to ‘add life to years and not just years to life.

Joining the Network provides opportunities for the Local Authority and its partners to learn from other cities, communities, and organisations worldwide, as well as to share good practice and ideas from Flintshire.

I am really pleased to see another Welsh local authority receive membership of the WHO Network and that many other councils across Wales are currently finalising their own applications to join the Network.

I look forward to continuing to work with Flintshire, as well as those still in the application process, as their plans are developed and delivered with older people to ensure their voices and experiences are heard and acted upon.” 

Julie Morgan, the Deputy Minister for Social Services, said:

“I am delighted to see that the £1.1million we have pledged to help create an age friendly Wales that supports people to live and age well is having such a positive impact in areas such as Flintshire.

This funding pledge forms part of our Age Friendly Wales strategy, one of our programmes for government commitments. Each local authority has received £50,000 to have a lead official in place to work towards joining the World Health Organisation Network of Age Friendly Communities and Cities.

Joining the WHO network is only the first step of this important journey being taken by all our local authorities across Wales. I look forward to seeing Flintshire working collaboratively with older people in their communities to create great places to celebrate older life.”

For more information: https://flintshire.gov.uk/AgeFriendlyFlintshire