Elderly members of the public came together to take part in an event designed to tackle issues surrounding ageing.

Around 100 people attended the event in Pool, Redruth, to share life experiences, glean new perspectives and inspire ideas.

Though out the event the attendees suggested improving information on public transport services, and developing more community transport schemes.

The event was part of a major initiative across the South West to develop innovative products and services which will support a healthy and active later life.

Supported by £3.65m from the National Lottery's Big Lottery Fund, the Transform Ageing programme is taking a community and design-led approach to enhancing people's experience of ageing.

In Cornwall, latest figures show an average life expectancy of 81.5, with more than 44 per cent of the population aged between 50-90, both of which are above the national average.

The challenge of moving around a rural county to access company and activities was identified as one of the biggest contributors to older people feeling isolated and lonely.

Doris Butler, aged 73, from Portreath, is a trustee for the Donald Thomas Centre in Camborne where people come from all over the county to get a good meal and enjoy events such as bingo.

She says Cornwall has very few good centres like this but even so, there is still a lack of people coming, simply because they can’t get there.

Duncan Thurnell-Read is 90 and now lives in Connor Downs, Hayle. He says he gets the services he wants but only because he asks, and believes it could be made simpler.

He said: "Lots of people won’t ask for things like transport back from hospital, or they don’t know who to ask, so they won’t get it.

Paul Drury-Bradey, an account director at UnLtd, a leading provider of support to social entrepreneurs in the UK hopes new ideas will come from older social entrepreneurs with great life experience.

Anna Mankee-Williams, strategic partnership lead for innovation and technology in care at Falmouth University, is overseeing a programme to develop a robot that travels around care homes to connect residents to the outside world.

She said: "Your GP could call in on you through the robot, or a relative in Australia could dial through and speak on a video call to someone.”

Transform Ageing is being delivered through a partnership led by Design Council, a leading authority on the use of strategic design to tackle major societal challenges.

The ideas and insights captured at the events will now be used to redefine the challenges and opportunities facing ageing communities and ultimately shape innovation briefs for social entrepreneurs to respond to with product and service solutions.

Packages of financial and non-financial support will be provided to each successful entrepreneur to enable the development and scaling up of ideas.

The funding will also create a legacy in the form of a national knowledge and learning network for communities to draw upon and apply the learnings and experience gained in the South West.

Anyone who may want more information should visit designcouncil.org.uk/what-we-do/transform-ageing.