West Belfast Healthy Ageing Project Partners With Civic Dollars

by Startacus Admin
Civic Dollars and Upper Springfield Development Trust develop new Innovate UK-funded initiative to improve the health and wellbeing of older people in West Belfast.
The good news keeps coming for innovative community currency platform Civic Dollars, whose successful projects in Dublin and Belfast we have previously highlighted.
They have now partnered with the Upper Springfield Development Trust and been awarded a contract to deliver a one-year Healthy Ageing SBRI Project, funded by the £3m UKRI Healthy Ageing Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK and ESRC. The project aims to improve health and wellbeing among the older adult population in West Belfast by using the Civic Dollars app to encourage participants to spend more time in parks and open spaces whilst giving them access to tailored rewards that will contribute to health and wellbeing outcomes.
The Healthy Ageing project with Civic Dollars is a unique initiative that will provide support, resources, and opportunities for the older population of West Belfast to improve their overall health and wellbeing. The programme is designed to address specific needs and concerns such as physical health, social isolation, and mental health and emotional wellbeing.
Civic Dollars is an award-winning community currency platform developed by local entrepreneur Stephen McPeake who said “We have been working closely with the team at Upper Springfield Development Trust to make sure we have maximum impact on the physical and mental health of the participants during this project. We have created tailored rewards that are focused on improving their lives while also helping out local communities. The Civic Dollars app enables people to earn ‘Civic Dollars’ for the time they spend in parks & open spaces and can be spent on rewards for the user or donated to local community groups and charities.
The Upper Springfield Development Trust will collaborate with local partners and service providers to deliver a range of activities and interventions, including physical activity classes, healthy eating, and social events. Additionally, the project will work to strengthen community connections and engagement among the older population, with the goal of reducing social isolation and promoting positive mental health.
Data from the project will be collated and analysed by a team from Ulster University to measure impact and the potential to scale the project. This project will deliver positive health and wellbeing for our older population and will generate valuable data and insights on best practices for healthy ageing programs in the future.
Arder Carson, project manager for the Upper Springfield Development Trust said: “This is an exciting and innovative project that brings together traditional community-based health development work and technology.
West Belfast has an ageing population, reflecting the trend across our city and we want to work to ensure that these years are spent in good health.
“A project that delivers programmes that improve physical fitness, contribute to positive mental health and well-being and promote healthy eating whilst reducing isolation and loneliness has to be very much welcomed, and we look forward to doing that in conjunction with our partners with the support of the West Belfast Community.”
For more information, or to get involved with the Healthy Ageing Project, please contact the Upper Springfield Development Trust at healthyageing@usdt.co.uk.
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Published on: 28th April 2023
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