Bolton’s shines a light on International Day of Older People

Turning the town hall purple is designed to highlight Bolton’s support for older people in the community and celebrate the achievements of senior citizens.

The theme this year is “The Part We Play”, which celebrates the integral role of older people in the borough and is supported by the Centre for Ageing Better.

The Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Andy Morgan, is hosting a delegation of older residents as part of the day.

It is said older people play a variety of roles and have many responsibilities, but their contribution can often be overlooked.

The Centre for Ageing Better State of Ageing report 2023-2024 highlights that:

•Older people are more likely to provide unpaid care for disabled or older family members, friends, and neighbours than younger age groups.

•People aged 65-74 are consistently the most likely to volunteer formally (giving unpaid help through groups, clubs, or organisations) and informally (giving unpaid help to other people who are not relatives, such as shopping for a neighbour), at least once a month.

•A third of the workforce in England are aged 50 or over, nearly 9 million workers - closing the employment gap for older workers would generate £9 billion a year for economy.

Across the UK, a range of activities will be taking place to raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges of an ageing population, and to mobilise the wider community to address difficulties faced by many older people.

Cllr Linda Thomas, Bolton Council’s Older People’s Champion, said: “The International Day of Older People is an important opportunity to acknowledge the enormous contributions of older people.

“As a society we need to do more to focus on the essential role older people play both in the workforce and in our communities, as carers or as volunteers.

“Raising awareness of this special event really helps bring our communities together to appreciate older people and can help make Bolton a place where we can all live and age well.”