Camden Council’s Café Connect program has been highly commended at the 2020 Local Government Excellence Awards.

Café Connect is a one-stop-shop providing information about health, social and service provisions to residents aged 55 years and over on a monthly basis.

The program has been beneficial for local seniors as it:

• Combats their risk of becoming socially isolated;
• Helps them make meaningful social connections;
• Encourages lifelong learning;
• Hosts health and wellbeing programs; and
• Connects them with local support services.

Mayor of Camden, Cr Theresa Fedeli, said the program was successfully assisting seniors on a monthly basis.

“Our local seniors are the backbone of our community and Café Connect is a fantastic way to give back to them and provide services that they find helpful,” Cr Fedeli said.

“In the first year this program ran, we had over 1,600 seniors connect with over 50 services, community groups and businesses.

“It is great to see so many locals enjoying this program, making new connections and reducing social isolation.

The program has run for over two years and was recognised in the Community Development and Service Delivery category and is an initiative of Council’s Active Ageing Strategy 2016-2026 to deliver innovative ideas and approaches that foster liveable communities for older people.

For more information on Café Connect, go to www.camden.nsw.gov.au and search ‘Café Connect’.