A community day expo in Mosgiel would target the needs of seniors aged 55 years and older in the Taieri area.
Hosted by the East Taieri Presbyterian Church in Mosgiel, the expo would be held at the North Taieri Presbyterian Church in Mosgiel on October 30, from 1-4 pm.
East Taieri Church community facilitator Joy Davis said the expo focused on the over-55 age group because of the large population base of older people in the Taieri region.
''The church as part of the wider community identified a need for more information on services to be available.''
There were many older people in the community who required services but did not know how to access them, she said.
''The expo focused on helping local people find local solutions.''
The North Taieri church had been fantastic to work with, Mrs Davis said. The church had a very good facility for the expo, with a ''good size hall.''
North Taieri Church Reverend Helen Martin said their church had ''fabulous facilities'' for the expo that were ''right in the centre of town.''
The North Taieri Church had larger and more assessable buildings, whereas the East Taieri Church had more personnel available to run the event, she said.
''Mutual co-operation, meant, by sharing our resources, both churches' strengths had been used to the benefit of the expo.''
Mrs Davis said the University of Otago had also provided great support.
The University of Otago had assisted with the placement of social work student Felicia Clarke. Miss Clarke had done a lot of work behind the scenes in helping bring the event together, she said. There were better than 30 agencies attending the expo, Mrs Davis said.
''We had to cut off the amount of agencies who were interested in coming as we simply could not fit them all in.''
Some agencies would offer seminars throughout the day, she said.
These included Sport Otago, the New Zealand Fire Service, and Hearing Association New Zealand. The Taieri Community Facilities Trust would also have a representative at the expo to engage with the community about their proposal for a new pool in Mosgiel, Mrs Davis said.
Trust Deputy Chair Cherry Lucas confirmed their attendance at the expo.
''We want to let people know about the [Mosgiel] pool project and get some public feedback on it,'' she said.
The expo takes place at the North Taieri Church, Mosgiel, on October 30, from 1-4pm.
By Rhys Crampton.
