COUNCILLOR Mac Cotterell MBE was presented with a certificate to mark the Golden Age Fairs initiative being shortlisted for a national community project award. Cllr Cotterell, the councillor behind the innovative Golden Age Fairs, received the certificate

COUNCILLOR Mac Cotterell MBE was presented with a certificate to mark the Golden Age Fairs initiative being shortlisted for a national community project award.

Cllr Cotterell, the councillor behind the innovative Golden Age Fairs, received the certificate from council chairman Councillor Mrs Pam Potts, in recognition of the initiative being shortlisted in the prestigious Local Government Chronicle and Health Service Journal Sustainable Communities Awards.

In the community project awards category, Fenland was in formidable company, with Liverpool City Council and Sheffield and Portsmouth Councils.

The Golden Age Fairs are a vital link for the elderly and vulnerable rural residents of Fenland, who make up around 20 per cent of the Fenland population.

The fairs have proved a huge hit with elderly people, providing face-to-face contact with a wide range of supportive statutory and voluntary agencies and offering comprehensive support to an often-isolated section of the community.

Cllr Cotterell, portfolio holder with responsibility for older people, said: "The Golden Age Fairs bring together all the relevant agencies under one roof and, as well as providing vital information and support, they are also a great social event.

"At the fairs, we help elderly people to get all the benefits they are entitled to, as well as providing them with practical support such as providing energy-efficient light bulbs and smoke detectors.

"It is a great honour for Fenland and the Golden Age Team, to have been nominated for this award.