Project lead: Other

• Civil Society Organisation
• Older People’s Association
• Social or health care provider

How collaboration worked: We partnered with service providers, community organisations, and local businesses to organise the “Free Come & Try” events. The scheduling and coordination of these events, along with liaison with the participating groups, were managed by officers and a Coordinator within the Community Connections Unit. Funding was provided by the State Government and Council also contributed financially to ensure the success of the festival.

Older people’s involvement: Older people were involved in the age-friendly practice at multiple or all stages

Details on older people’s involvement: The festival was designed with older people as the central focus, serving as the driving force behind its creation. Prior to the event, we actively sought their input, encouraging them to share their preferences regarding activities and events they would like to participate in, should the festival proceed. Once the festival was approved and organized, older individuals directly engaged in the events and activities. They also participated in post-event consultations, providing valuable feedback.

Has the impact of this age-friendly practice been analysed: No

Do you plan to evaluate your age-friendly practice? Yes

Feedback:
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with significant success in fostering new hobbies and expanding programs to include additional groups targeted at older adults. However, due to the large number of activities available, some older residents were unable to participate in their preferred events due to scheduling conflicts. Despite this, our participants are already eager and excited for the upcoming year!

Expansion plans:
Yes, due to the popularity of this event we are planning on running the festival again during October 2025.

Reflections:
Advertising in local papers distributed at different times resulted in events being booked out prior to others knowing about the event.​ Allow room for error/amendments in advertising information for events​. Transport issues across Macedon Ranges Shire present.​ Need for more scheduled session times to reduce clashes with other groups and increase availability to attend multiple events.​ Weather impacts attendance for outdoor events​. More promotion of inclusivity for events (not just for older adults but family/carer/friend can attend with older persons) ​

Challenges:
Late amendments and additional event registrations presented challenges, as they could not be included in certain promotional materials. Furthermore, holding multiple events on the same day resulted in reduced attendance at each individual event. To address this in the future, we plan to reduce the number of events held on a single day while maintaining a diverse range of activities to avoid scheduling conflicts.