How did Big Local support older people?

During Big Local, the population aged 65 and over in England and Wales increased from 16 per cent in 2011 to nearly 19 per cent in 2021 (ONS, 2022a). It is projected that by 2065, 26 per cent of the population will be aged 65 and over (Centre for Ageing Better, 2025b). During Big Local, while this population was growing, public services were moving online (accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic), and funding cuts reduced public transport and services (like libraries) in some areas. While these challenges impacted many residents, older residents were more likely to be digitally isolated (where barriers to using online tools limit participation in society) and to rely on public transport to access healthcare services (Centre for Ageing Better, 2025a).

Across the 150 Big Local areas, the proportion of residents aged 65 and over differed, with the highest at 43 per cent and the lowest at 4 per cent (ONS, 2022). While Age UK defines older people as anyone aged over 55 (2023), across Big Local the starting age for targeted activity varied from 50 to 65. Some Big Local partnerships supported activities targeted at older people, focused on improving health and wellbeing and reducing social isolation. For other Big Local partnerships, older people were included in wider plans to connect to the community and bring people together.

Housing, employment, and healthcare can impact how well people age (Centre for Ageing Better, 2025b), but these issues were generally too complex for partnerships to solve.

Older residents were generally consulted as part of wider engagement events or at activities. This helped some partnerships identify unmet needs around residents being able to use or get to community spaces and services, which were worsened by a local lack of transport.

Data from Local Insight also highlighted concerns around loneliness and health among older residents. Across all Big Local areas, 67 per cent of pensioner households were lone households (compared to 58 per cent across England) (ONS, 2025). Additionally, 51 per cent of Big Local residents aged 65 and over reported that they had bad or very bad health (compared to 42 per cent across England) (ONS, 2023).

Local Trust explains how a tailored version of Local Insight was used in the Big Local programme in another article about Local Trust’s approach to research.

In some Big Local areas, older residents were partnership members, taking part in decision-making and helping wider partnerships understand local needs. Across all Big Local areas, residents aged 65 and over made up 27 per cent of partnership members, compared to 14 per cent of the population (Juliette, 2026). In some partnerships, older members set up groups to run activities they felt were appropriate for people their age. For example, in Welsh House Farm, older partnership members set up a senior citizens group that planned trips and a Christmas meal. A few partnerships employed staff to engage with older residents.

Many Big Local partnerships identified loneliness and social isolation as key issues affecting older residents, which can have significant impacts on physical and mental health (Reeves et al., 2025).

Group activities

Sometimes Big Local funding was used for social activities targeted at older people, like fitness sessions, trips, celebrations, and annual events centred around a specific day or theme. For example, Silver Sunday events (Age UK’s National Day for Older People) and visits to residential homes at Christmas to hand out gifts and share food. Activities were free or low-cost to ensure that residents could attend. Across Big Local, many residents who attended these activities reported that they were living alone and found that taking part was a sort of ​‘lifeline’, encouraging them to regularly leave their homes to build friendships and celebrate occasions together.

A key focus for many partnerships in providing regular activities, in addition to residents spending time together, was access to free or low-cost food. Big Local funding supported weekly or monthly coffee mornings, lunch clubs, and supper clubs aimed at creating new friendships and bringing residents together around a shared purpose.

In HAVA Big Local, an existing group was funded to deliver activities for residents aged over 60, and a minibus was purchased to take residents on trips to the seaside and museums. While in Kirk Hallam, 40 older residents were provided transport and meals as part of the weekly lunch club.

In Elthorne Estate, the monthly coffee afternoon provided an opportunity for older residents to take part in a knitting group, develop digital skills, and learn about retirement planning. Residents reported that they met new people and made lasting friendships, with one attendee choosing to celebrate her 90th birthday with the group. As well as providing a reason to socialise, these activities helped support those who were experiencing challenges with cooking at home or accessing affordable food on a regular basis.

Local Trust has explored the effects of funding social activities on health in another article.

One-to-one support

To tackle social isolation, some Big Local partnerships supported befriending services that aimed to regularly contact older people through telephone or in person. Individual contact with older residents was particularly important during difficult personal circumstances such as bereavement. These befriending services were often offered alongside a programme of social activities and ensured that those who could not physically attend a community space were still included.

In Whitleigh, a befriending coordinator was employed to deliver services for older residents, including the Nifty over 50 lunch club, trips, and one-to-one support. At least 18 residents were contacted (in person or by phone) on a weekly basis, helping residents who couldn’t meet with the group in person to feel supported and connected.

Health and care

Community consultations in various Big Local areas highlighted that older people faced challenges in accessing key services, like healthcare. Some partnerships addressed physical barriers to access by bringing health workers into a central location (like a community hub) to provide information, signpost to services, and carry out health checks. While in other areas, Big Local funding was used to purchase or rent transport to take older or disabled residents to healthcare appointments.

In Villages Together, the partnership worked with a local medical centre to set up a dementia café at a hub. Twice a month, a medical practitioner met with patients to answer questions and share advice on financial support and care packages. Around 20 patients were supported to access information more quickly, without having to travel to the medical centre. In Brookside, transport support extended to the local supermarket, when the shop on the estate temporarily closed.

Digital services

Alongside physical barriers, older people can also face barriers to using digital services, like limited skills or access to equipment. As services move online, older people may find it difficult to book healthcare appointments or fill in forms for welfare support (Stevenson et al., 2024). Some partnerships supported digital skills training and bought IT equipment.

In Grassland Hasmoor, the partnership organised Coffee, Tea and IT sessions to help improve older residents’ digital skills and provide opportunities for socialising. Attendees reported that they felt safe during these sessions, which were also their main point of social contact with others.

Crisis and urgent need

Older people are particularly at risk of experiencing adversity during crisis. For some older people, pensions and savings do not cover the cost of everyday essentials and household bills are often higher due to health conditions (Age UK, 2023). In their response to the Covid-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis, many Big Local partnerships adapted their activities to consider the needs of older people. The flexible funding of the Big Local programme enabled partnerships to adjust their plans, many moved their activities online and supported older residents to access and use digital technology.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Big Local Eastern Sheppey partnership moved their befriending service to telephone calls and adapted the bus service (that previously took residents to medical appointments) to deliver food and prescriptions to older people.

In Wargrave, the partnership was concerned about the effects of fuel poverty on older residents and held Winter Warmer days, where they distributed soup, room thermometers, and warm clothing. Across Big Local, many community spaces became warm hubs during the day, attracting older people that could benefit from this support.

Local Trust has explored how Big Local partnerships responded to the Covid-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis in other articles.

A key priority for many partnerships was to bring people together and improve community connection. They supported connection through smaller targeted clubs and activities, larger community-wide events, and shaping more inclusive spaces.

Clubs, groups, and activities

Partnerships supported activities like arts and crafts groups, men’s sheds, and gardening groups, that often attracted older residents due to the time of day that they took place. Some partnerships reached out to existing service providers such as Age UK or local sheltered housing to include older residents in these activities.

In the Bountagu Big Local area, a worker was employed to engage residents aged over 50, leading to an increase in attendance at activities. The worker recognised the physical barriers to engaging with some older people, and connected with a sheltered home to identify those residents’ needs. They set up a buddy scheme where volunteers visited and supported those who were housebound and unable to attend the community hub. By employing a worker to engage older people, the partnership was able to identify some of these residents’ different needs and adapt their activities to reach those who would otherwise be excluded.

In some areas, Big Local funding was used for intergenerational activities (like Bingo sessions) to bring older and younger residents together. These types of activities can help to change the attitudes of younger people towards older members of society and reduce ageism (negative and distorted views of older people) (Drury et al., 2017).

In Kirk Hallam, the partnership found it difficult to engage older residents due to a large difference in needs in the age group, for example between 50- and 90-year-olds. They worked with a school to provide intergenerational lunches for children and their grandparents, enabling different ages to come together for a shared activity without a defined age bracket.

Community events

Wider community events celebrating special days (like VE day and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee) provided opportunities for older residents to share and connect. While these events weren’t targeted at older people, the free or low-cost activities helped ensure that older residents could attend. For example, a Windrush celebration in Wembley helped bring people together through music and food.

Inclusive spaces

Many Big Local activities for older people took place in community centres or spaces that partnerships had supported. Big Local funding for new community spaces or renovations often went to improving physical accessibility, like installing ramps, wheelchair access, and accessible toilets. In the Rastrick area, Big Local funding was used to refurbish the Our Space community centre, and a hearing loop and accessible toilet helped enable older residents to attend activities.

As part of wider priorities to improve the local environment, some Big Local partnerships installed benches, making it easier for residents with mobility issues to leave their homes by providing places to sit. Big Local funding was also invested in creating spaces to bring older residents together, like community allotments and sensory gardens.

The Wembley Big Local partnership had a subgroup focussed on older people’s needs. This group rented an allotment space, allocated funding to pathway improvements, installed lights, and provided opportunities for residents to attend gardening courses. Residents felt more confident to attend the allotment and created new friendships, providing support in the event of a bereavement. Some residents involved in the allotment were also encouraged to attend partnership meetings to contribute ideas to the Big Local plan.

Big Local partnerships identified older people as a key priority in their plans. In some areas, Big Local funding supported activities targeted at this group, which were often based on providing food and opportunities to come together to reduce social isolation. Compared to partnerships’ projects for younger people (which focussed on wider strategic approaches), projects for older people tended to be smaller scale (focussing on activities).

Spend data shows that partnerships in 38 out of 150 areas supported projects specifically for older people (Fisher, 2025). In practice, older people were included as part of wider initiatives to address health and wellbeing, community connection, and service access.

In responding to crisis, the flexible funding of Big Local enabled partnerships to adapt their projects to consider the different needs of older people, including health vulnerabilities, mobility, and digital access.

Older residents’ needs were identified through wider community consultations, feedback from activities, and older partnership members (who were involved in decision-making and delivery). However, the make-up of partnerships did not always reflect their wider communities. As the older population in England grows and becomes increasingly diverse, additional factors such as ethnicity, gender, and disability should be considered in designing programmes for older people (Centre for Ageing Better, 2025b). Communities should have an ambassador for older people to ensure that lived experiences shape plans and engagement approaches (Centre for Ageing Better, 2025a). Only a few partnerships allocated champions for older people, and in these cases activities were expanded to capture the diversity of needs of people in this age group.