You may not know, but a quarter of all people who live in Monmouthshire are over 65 and that proportion is rising.

It is just one of the reasons why we have just become a member of the World Health Organisation’s Global Network for Age-friendly Communities.

Alongside our status as a county of sanctuary, it is a reflection of the determination here to make a real difference. So, for some time now we have been to looking at how we can best champion and serve our older residents appropriately.

My colleague, Cllr Ian Chandler, your Cabinet Member for Social Care, Safeguarding and Accessible Health Services, working with Cllr Jackie Strong, our Older Person’s Champion, has been co-ordinating a council-wide initiative to ensure that our policies are suitable and appropriate.

Some time ago we conducted a survey among older residents listening to what matters to them. At the same time, we re-examined our existing services, volunteering opportunities, and community activities across the county.

What has really inspired me has been how much our older residents are the lynchpin of our communities, working tirelessly, more often than not as volunteers, to improve the quality of life for all of us in Monmouthshire.

In Abergavenny, all of us enjoy strolling through Linda Vista Gardens or the Community Orchards and Garden, both flourishing because of the dedicated support of our older citizens. Across the county, when I visit our community fridges, our community centres, the friends of our libraries, civic societies, choral groups… I could go on… I am struck by how much our older residents contribute to the fabric of Monmouthshire.

As a result, we ensure that we work with, and encourage, older citizens to stay active and support themselves and others so they can continue to be healthy and thrive.

We have built a network of partner organisations to support an ‘Ageing Well’ agenda and we help strengthen community engagement across such organisations.

As an employer, we also have a firm commitment to inclusivity and fair employment with age-inclusive recruitment practices across the authority.

All these policies are part of a collaborative process where we work with all our communities to create the conditions where people can age well, with dignity and care; where living well longer is an expectation, not a hope, and where the contribution of our older citizens is valued.

As background, The WHO's Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities was established in 2010 to connect cities, communities, and organisations worldwide with the shared vision of making their communities great places to live.

Already, average healthy life expectancy in Monmouthshire is 69.3 years for females and 68.7 years for males, both of which are above the average for Wales and the other local authorities in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area.

That is not to overlook the fact that people are the experts in their own lives. So, with everything we do, we try to understand what matters most and what we can do - so that we can all see the benefits.