Vintage Picnic: A Health & Wellbeing Music Festival for over 55s

Description

Vintage Picnic 2024 will be held in Swords Castle on Thursday 5th July 2024. This is a free ticket event with all 700 places booked within 24 hours. Vintage Picnic was first held in 2023, following a successful, post covid initiative “Give it a Go Day” in 2022. The aim of “Give it a Go Day” was to encourage older people to re-engage with groups post-covid and try out new activities such as bowling, walking football, yoga, tai-chi etc, in a safe environment. Vintage Picnic expanded on this idea to include physical activities, creative activities, and live music.

While the headline music acts for 2024 are the Ronan Collins Showband and the Blue Belles, the festival provides an opportunity for older musicians to showcase their talents and showcase what is possible in later life. This year, the local ‘senior’ musicians, representing both sides of the county are Balbriggan Ukelele Group, comprising of older people who took up the Ukelele later in life. Also performing is ‘Gerry and the Plonkers’, a group of musicians who formed through their membership of Donabate Men’s Shed.

A programme of physical and creative activities will take place throughout the afternoon (2.00-6.00) to encourage older people to try as many activities as possible. Musical tutors will be provided by the Irish Institute of Music & Song, Balbriggan with workshops in Drumming, Bodhran, Ukelele and Singing. Creative workshops in upcycling clothes and street art are two examples of the many creative activities on the day. Health and wellbeing information for older people will be available on the day, as well opportunities to try out Yoga, Chi-gong, Tai Chi and Zumba and an array of garden games. These activities take place within the grounds of the castle, located in outdoor spaces, and in gazebos. A health and wellbeing information hub will also be available at the event.

For those who wish to take time out and relax, the beautifully restored Chapel in Swords Castle, a quiet and tranquil place to contemplate, will be open to attendees. Similar to 2023, picnic tables will be placed throughout the castle. While attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic, discounted food as well as free tea/coffee/ice-cream will be available.

Transport from across the county is provided, free of charge, from across the county with routes scheduled from Balbriggan/Skerries; Rush/Lusk; Donabate; Howth/Sutton/Baldoyle, Portmarnock/Malahide as well as Castleknock, Huntstown, and Corduff in Dublin 15. These routes were chosen based on the location of the many ‘senior’ social and activity groups located in these areas. However, the routes are subject to change, depending on demand. The availability of transport ensures the event is accessible by all.

The 2024 Vintage Picnic is a collaboration between Age Friendly Fingal, Fingal Community Development, Libraries and Sports Departments, Healthy Fingal, as well as Fingal Operations and Communications Departments. The initiative has once again received support from Creative Ireland as a sustainable event that demonstrates quality creative engagement for older people that meet their creative needs.

Aim of Initiative

Social Engagement. The event is an opportunity for older people not only to try new activities and have fun, but also to meet with friends and make new friends.

Empower older people by providing opportunities in a safe environment to try new activities, in the company of their friends, neighbours and peers which is less daunting than joining a new activity on their own.

Combat ageism by showcasing talents and interests of older people which are of similar age. It highlights the enjoyment which can be had by older people at festivals, seen to be the domain of younger people. The initiative also combats self-directed ageism i.e. “see me, be me”.

Inclusive. The provision of a free event ensures those who are struggling financially are not excluded from attending. Fingal OPC have reported that many older people, particularly those on State Pensions, are struggling financially and forgoing social events due to costs.

Independence. The availability of free transport to the event provides older people with a sense of independence as they can travel without seeking support from family and friends to get there.

Safety. Many older people have indicated that they don’t feel safe being out at large events and gatherings. Vintage Picnic provides an event with similar people, in a safe environment with supports from staff, transport, food and first aid.

Quality of Life. Older people who participate in creative activities enjoy a higher quality of life and are less likely to be lonely (TILDA, 2022). This event provides not only an opportunity to participate in creative and physical activities but also provided information on health and wellbeing in later life.

Fun. Most important provide fun and enjoyment in a relaxed, safe environment.

Who is it aimed at

All older people Over 55 in Fingal. However, specific groups and individuals identified as more isolated will be encouraged to attend.

3 Steps critical to success

1. Plan and understand. Include the voice of older people, to ensure they get what they want, not what we think older people want. Input and suggestions from Fingal OPC and feedback from previous events were taken into consideration. Understanding the need for social engagement and prolonged independence is essential and activities must be chosen to ensure they are achievable by all. It is imperative that older people are treated as independent individuals and a culture of dependency is avoided at this event. Help should always be available, but at distance and interventions only when needed. Plenty of staff on hand to encourage participation, gives older people confidence and a feeling of security as well as a warm welcome!
2. Collaboration is necessary to ensure a positive experience for those in attendance and to take advantage of the infrastructure which may be used at other events. This event, similar to the one in 2023, will use infrastructure in place in the castle for other events over the weekend. The input of other Departments within Fingal such as Community Libraries, Sports, Events, Communications and Operations are vital to it success. It is imperative that a budget is agreed in advance and where possible collaborations are encouraged to reduce costs. Activities and tutors were sourced through Fingal Sports, Community and Libraries and were kept to a minimum. Non-essential aspects included in 2023 were omitted to ensure costs were reduced.
3. Evaluation is vital to the sustainability of the event. Following a review of the 2023 event, ticketing was completed through a ticketing agent. However, mindful of the digital divide among our older population, tickets were held back for those who had no access to the internet and the more vulnerable groups of older people. Following a review of the food on offer in 2023 the options were changed, and smaller portions are also available. Changes will be reviewed post-event to ascertain the success of the changes and if further changes are needed.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. Ticketing. In 2023 booking for the event was undertaking by staff through email requests. However, due to the volume of emails and subsequent correspondence from older people, a different method of booking tickets was required. This year, the event was booked through a ticketing agent and while it reduced the number of emails and correspondence, there is still significant correspondence.
   In recognition that a digital gap exists, a percentage of tickets were held back for individuals and groups identified through our own networks as experiencing digital poverty. It is difficult to ensure equality of access to the event and this will need to be reviewed after the 2024 event.
2. Demand. The numbers wishing to attend this event far outweighs capacity and while Swords Castle is a wonderful enclosed and safe venue, it may be necessary to look at alternative venues to meet demand. The scaling up of this event while necessary, it may detract from the more personal and intimate event that it is. This event is time-consuming and requires a dedicated team to ensure its success.
3. Transport. In 2023 transport was also booked through staff in the Fingal’s Community Department. However, while the routes were decided best on knowledge of the area and the location of ‘senior’ groups, it was difficult to maximise resources. In 2024 transport is provided directly by the transport operator who can alter routes and bus numbers to suit the booking as it occurs. This will also need to be reviewed post-event.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. Improved health and wellbeing: through feedback from attendees in 2023, tutors at the event were invited to meet with groups around the county, with a view of introducing new groups to their activities. Information on joining a new activity group was also available as well as information on health and wellbeing. Fun: The evidence of the fun achieved can be found in both the letters of appreciation received after the event, as well as the photos and video of the event.
2. Empowerment and independence: Older people were provided with opportunities to learn new skills in a safe environment with their peers. This reduced embarrassment or reluctancy among older people trying something new, with those whom they perceive as younger or more capable. There was no one minding them, although close observation at a distance was constant, and they felt free to try something new with the fear of risk. This event is organised to ensure older people are not minded, thus avoiding a culture of dependency which is found is many activities run by others for older people. All activities were chosen to ensure that they were pitched at the abilities at those in attendance and all older people could participate in all activities.
3. Combat Self-directed Ageism: This event provides older people with an opportunity to see their peers learning new skills, trying new activities, and having fun, often perceived as reserved for young people. Those in attendance participated in and enjoyed activities as they thought they were too old to learn a new skill. The success of this event in 2023 is evident in the booking out of all tickets for the 2024 event within 24 hours.