Silver Sunday – taking place this year on 4 October – is a special day in the national calendar when everyone can come together to put older people at the heart of the community.
It gives older people new opportunities to get out of the house, keep their minds and bodies active, learn new skills, make new friends, and connect with the communities and generations around them, via programmes of community-based events and activities across the country.
Much of the growth and success of Silver Sunday since it began in 2012 has been thanks to the phenomenal energy and ambition shown by local councillors and officers.
Whether it is by offering special grants for community groups to organise Silver Sunday events, community engagement collaborations to create local programmes spanning the weeks around Silver Sunday, or throwing one enormous party and welcoming hundreds of older guests – it all helps!
The event is also a “fantastic example of community collaboration in tackling isolation and loneliness”, according to Marc Read, Salisbury Community Engagement Manager at Wiltshire Council. Last year’s ‘Silver Sunday in Salisbury’ was a catalyst for further projects there, including a three-year intergenerational project in the city.
One of our most exciting areas of growth in 2019 was our partnerships with youth organisations, including air, army, police and fire cadets, schools, the Girl Guides and the Scouts. We launched a Silver Sunday Scout Badge for cubs and scouts to earn by hosting, or volunteering at, Silver Sunday events.
We always had a little inkling that this could be a formula for success, with our intergenerational Silver Sunday events providing small moments of magic and hope for a kinder, more connected and happier society!
We hope your council can get involved by hosting, promoting or helping with tea dances, community days in care homes and other local events – and signposting older people to existing programmes and support.