The certificate from the World Health Organisation (WHO) completes a process which began in February this year.

The council agreed at that month’s Executive Committee to formally put in writing a programme to become an Age Friendly Community after being updated on the work already being undertaken by Seniors Together.

Chair of Seniors Together, Catriona Mason, said: “Receiving this certificate means we are now recognised by WHO as an Age Friendly Community.

“It is recognition of the hard work that has been done to get to this stage. Of course, the hard work continues, and we are determined to ensure our communities continue to be great places to grow older.”

Vice chair of Seniors Together, Colin Angus, said: “Ageism is the most prevalent form of discrimination in the UK so the development of an Age Friendly Community means that the council and its partners will work with older people rather than for them to design services and facilities that best suits their needs and aspirations.”

Creating an Age Friendly Community will include ideas such as ‘liveable neighbourhoods’ – limiting traffic and creating more spaces for neighbours to sit and children to play, and ‘fifteen-minute neighbourhoods’ – ensuring residents can access daily needs within a safe short walk, in line with WHO’s identified features of age-friendly cities.

More details are available on the WHO website.