Timeline of the Leeds Older People's Forum At Your Convenience Campaign. The campaign to improved city centre access for older people; increased and improved toilet provision and improved public seating.
Created by RachATheMachine on 12/07/2011
Last updated: 21/07/11 at 12:30
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We will meet with a council rep to map accessibility for a forthcoming event in Leeds. This will include toilet and seating provision and will raise awareness with the council and amongst older people.
We will be attending a meeting with the Highways Department to influence planning for accessibility. This also represents an opportunity to forge links with disability groups with simular concerns.
We get the opportunity to include some of our own questions in a questionnaire that we are commissioned to carry out. As a result we can offer a financial incentive to organisations completing the form with their members. This should guarantee a 100+ return rate. We can use this information to influence planners and developers.
We meet with the Strategic Lead for the Leeds Unicef Child Friendly Cities work. It is important that we develop these links and make the case for intergenerational approaches during the planning stages.
We meet with Barbara Newton, Director of Children's Services in Leeds, to explore the links between our own aim of 'A City for All Ages' with Leeds new priority to become a Unicef Child Friendly City.
www.leedsinitiative.org/children/
....the details of the plans are still up for negotiation.
We are able to distribute a questionnaire with cash incentive to Forum members by piggy backing on another project. Members have committed to returning 200 questionnaires (combined). This should give us a good local evidence base for our campaign.
Our application to the Young Foundation Digital Activism Programme is successful. We will get training and support to use social media as a campaigning tool. This could be a great way to raise the profile of the campaign and involve more people.
http://www.youngfoundation.org/our-work/web/building-local-activism/building-local-activism
We provide support to Age UK Leeds to jointly deliver this campaign. It will give us a valuable insight into what's important to older people in Leeds and maybe we will get responses that include feedback on toilet provision. We are currently collating the information.
As part of our info gathering we map which Leeds Neighbourhood Network Schemes campaign and lobby. This will help us link with the right member orgs in future. Of the 40 schemes 27 respond, 14 of those say that they campaign and lobby.
We meet with the Chair of the Young Lives Forum for Children, Young People and Families in Leeds. Common aims are explored. In particular, the links around Child Friendly and Age Friendly cities, as well as itnergenerational practice.
http://leedsvoice.org.uk/networks-and-forums/children-young-people-and-families-forum/
The question we submit is featured on the Guardian Leeds blog. Scroll to the bottom of the page on the link below to see it. The response to our question is curt and dismissive, in comparison to the other answers but some assurances about the toilet provision is given.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/leeds/2011/may/18/q-and-a-eastgate-quarters-developers-hammerson-answer-your-questions?INTCMP=SRCH
We send a letter to the planning department outlining concerns about the lack of seating, as outlined in the planning proposal.
LOPF joins Change One Thing and is trained in campaigning skills. A plan for the campaign starts to take shape.
The campaign is featured as a lead article in the 'What's On Guide for Older People in Leeds. 5000 copies are distributed via 100+ outlets across the whole city.
The LavNav, a map of the public toilets in Leeds city centre, targeted at people with continence problems and distributed widely throughout the city.
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