Age Friendly Walkability Audit in Collinstown
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Westmeath's first Age Friendly Walkability study took place in Collinstown Village today 19th June, 2019. A walkability audit assesses how easy or difficult it is to get around villages/towns and how easy or difficult it is to access services. In a walkability audit, older people and others walk a route to identify and prioritise things that could be improved. An Age Friendly Village is good for everyone, when the standards are high everyone benefits.
Westmeath County Council and Collinstown Action Group were joined by representatives from the Irish Wheelchair Association, The National Council for the Blind (NCBI), Elected Representatives, Cllr. Paddy Hill, Frank McDermott and Emily Wallace, Garda Thomas Blake, representatives of Westmeath Age Friendly Council, members of Collinstown/Fore ICA, Collinstown Parent and Toddler Group, Lough Lene Gaels Healthy Club and students from St. Mary’s National School. Annette Bar Jordan, Age Friendly Manager, Westmeath County Council was in attendance and facilitated the audit. It was a very well organised and productive few hours. Four separate walks were carried out covering the village and the roads leading into the centre of the village.
The findings of the walkability study will be compiled by Westmeath County Council and will help us to see what works need to be done to make Collinstown a truly Age Friendly Village and a great place to grow old. We looked at footpaths, seating, safety and access for all regardless of ability or age. It was especially nice to hear lovely comments from those that were never in Collinstown before about how we keep our village clean and the good feeling they got from their visit today. There are obviously some areas for improvement, some are structural and some are maintenance. We will keep you updated and will share the results of the study here when the work is completed.
