From Bandon to Brussels - Bandon Age Friendly efforts impress EU Policy Makers

As part of the project, Hincks worked with small and medium-sized enterprises and with policymakers in Cork County Council to identify relevant good practices in the Silver Economy in the southern region of Ireland. The ‘Silver Economy’ relates to economic opportunities arising from public and consumer expenditure related to population ageing and the specific needs of those over 50.   

In February last year, the Hincks Centre hosted an international workshop and study visit for the SilverSME project partners.  EU partners were taken to Bandon, one of eight Age Friendly Towns in County Cork to visit local enterprises who participated in the project and to meet members of the voluntary Age Friendly Town committee. As well as being cited as an example of Good Practice, the Age Friendly initiatives advanced in Bandon will feature in the SILVER SMEs’ online mid-term conference in April on "Challenges and solutions to cope with ageing in rural Europe: the role of the Silver Economy.”

Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Mary Linehan Foley extended her congratulations to all involved noting that,

“This project represents an excellent collaboration between Cork County Council, Munster Technological University (MTU) and the community and voluntary sector to improve the competitiveness of SMEs while promoting the needs of older people and age-friendly initiatives. The project includes nine partners from Spain, France, Sweden, Portugal, Slovenia, Poland and Ireland (Hincks Centre) and all partners were hugely impressed by the welcome and passion of the local businesses in Bandon and the Bandon Age Friendly Town committee members.”

Cork County Council’s Age Friendly Town Programme forms part of the Council’s Age Friendly Strategy 2016 – 2021 and the National Age Friendly Cities and Counties Programme led by Age Friendly Ireland.

Bandon is one of eight designated Age Friendly Towns in County Cork currently. In each town, voluntary Age Friendly committees work together with Cork County Council and other agencies and groups with the aim of taking practical steps towards age-friendly initiatives in the towns.

Commenting on the success of the programme, Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Tim Lucey said,

“This is a great success story for Bandon and the leadership of Age Friendly Ireland in guiding local authorities and other stakeholders in collaborative efforts to promote Age Friendly initiatives must be acknowledged. I would also like to commend the commitment and dedication of the voluntary committees in our Age Friendly towns.” 

Speaking on behalf of Bandon Age Friendly Town Committee, Mary O’ Brien noted that

“We have received great support from Cork County Council, and we’re delighted that Bandon was chosen for the visit by the EU partners. There is a great sense of pride that the efforts of all involved have led to this success on the European stage.”

Acknowledging the efforts of Bandon Age Friendly Town Committee and Bandon age-friendly businesses, Dr Aisling Conway Lenihan, project lead at Hincks Centre for Entrepreneurship Excellence, MTU said,

“I am delighted that this Good Practice (GP) has not only been accepted as an official GP of the Interreg Europe ‘SilverSME’ project but has also been published on the Interreg Policy Learning Platform.  This Good Practice has the potential to be replicated in other rural EU regions with the support of local authorities and enterprises.”

Bandon will feature in the SILVER SMEs’ online mid-term conference on "Challenges and solutions to cope with ageing in rural Europe: the role of the Silver Economy" on April 21, 2021, from 09:45 to 13:00 (CET).

See https://www.interregeurope.eu/silversmes/events/event/4233/silver-smes-mid-term-conference/

For more information on the Cork Age Friendly Town Programme please contact agefriendly@corkcoco.ie