Westmeath win overall 'Age Friendly' title
Westmeath won Best Age Friendly Programme 2026 at the National Age Friendly Recognition and Achievement Awards last week. It was recognised for its community engagement, innovation and delivery for older people.
An early adopter of the Age Friendly process, the programme has an Older People’s Council membership of more than 700, a strong programme of activity, flagship health and wellbeing initiatives and a clear commitment to Age Friendly housing.
Annette Barr Jordan, manager of the Westmeath programme, said she and her colleagues were delighted with the result: “We were shocked. We were told a number of weeks ago that we were shortlisted, but we didn’t know that we were going to win it, of course… so, we’re delighted.”
Annette said the programme has been running in Westmeath for 14 years and this is the first time it has been honoured at national level: “We’re thrilled to be the first county to actually get that award and get that recognition,” Annette added.
The winners were announced at the 10th annual ceremony in Limerick last Thursday night, organised by Age Friendly Ireland, the national body supporting Ireland’s 31 local authorities to deliver the government’s vision of an Age Friendly Ireland.
Hosted by Limerick City and County Council at the Limerick Strand Hotel and MCed by Marty Whelan, the National Age Friendly Recognition and Achievement Awards celebrate practical initiatives improving everyday life for older people and showcase Age Friendly innovation that can be shared and replicated across Ireland.
This year, the awards are also an EU Associated Presidency event. These are events organised independently of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union which align with the themes and priorities of Ireland’s EU Presidency.
Annette said the judging criteria are based on “the amount of work done on the Age Friendly Programme, the number of initiatives in place, the structures you have in it”.
“We have our Age Friendly Council and our Age Friendly Alliance, and all our services work with us, from Westmeath Community Development to Longford Westmeath ETB to the chambers of commerce.
“It’s how, I suppose, we put forward Age Friendly and we keep Age Friendly on the agenda with everything we do.
“We’re starting to put in Age Friendly parking in different places, we have the tricycle to help older people be able to go for cycles with their family members when they’re not able to do it themselves, we have programmes on being cyber safe and helping people to learn how to use computers and their phones.
“We have intergenerational projects. We hosted the National Age Friendly Convention this year and we also hosted the Midlands Sports Taster Day, looking at making sure that people stay fit, get healthy, keep exercising.
“That’s one of the major things with older people – if you keep fit and keep healthy, you’ll be better, not just your body being better, but your mind will be better, your wellbeing will be better.
“We promote healthy eating for older people. We support befriending services and telephone services.
“So, it’s about all of the services and how you promote Age Friendly and try to make sure your county is as Age Friendly as possible,” Annette concluded.