ElderFest comes to Bournemouth for the first time on 12 October: over 30 organisations, flu and Covid jabs and a tech amnesty at Kinson Community Centre, free.
ElderFest, a free advice and activities fair for older residents, is coming to Bournemouth for the first time. It runs on Monday 12 October, from 1.30pm to 4pm, at Kinson Community Centre in Pelhams Park.
Last year the event was held only in Christchurch, where it drew more than 330 people. This year it has grown to three events, one in each town, according to BCP Council’s announcement on 28 September.
What will be there
The Bournemouth event poster lists:
- more than 30 organisations offering information on local services, activities and support
- a drop-in vaccination clinic
- a tech amnesty, where you can hand in unwanted old phones, tablets and laptops
- a quiet space, with staff on hand to support the person you care for while you look round the stalls
- free refreshments
The council says the flu and Covid vaccines will be offered at all three ElderFest events. It also lists the kinds of help on the stalls:
- health and wellbeing support
- financial, benefits and energy advice
- community groups, clubs and volunteering
- support for carers and people living with dementia
- community transport information
- digital support and technology advice
Entry is free and there is no booking.
Where it is
The address on the poster is Pelhams Kinson Community Centre, Pelhams Park, Millhams Road, Bournemouth, BH10 7LH. The centre shares the park with Pelhams sports centre and its car park.
The other two dates
Bournemouth’s is the middle event of the three. The first is today, and the Christchurch one has the longest hours.
| Event | Date | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poole ElderFest | Thursday 1 October | 9am to 3pm | Gather Space, Dolphin Centre, Poole |
| Bournemouth ElderFest | Monday 12 October | 1.30pm to 4pm | Kinson Community Centre |
| Christchurch ElderFest | Tuesday 27 October | 10am to 3pm | GodFirst Church, Christchurch |
Christchurch Community Partnership, which runs the Christchurch event, says more than 50 organisations will attend there. It can arrange transport within Christchurch on 01202 989632.
The events are timed for the International Day of Older People, which falls on 1 October. This year’s UK theme is “What’s on Your Doorstep?”. ElderFest is run by BCP Age Friendly Communities with partners including PramaLife and Christchurch Community Partnership.
Library sessions in Bournemouth this October
The same week’s Age Friendly newsletter carries the October programme for older readers at BCP’s libraries. These are the sessions at Bournemouth branches, from the libraries’ own listing:
| Date | Time | Library | Session |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursdays 1, 8, 22 and 29 Oct | 10.30am to 12pm | Springbourne | Knit and natter |
| Thursday 1 Oct | 10.30am to 11.30am | Springbourne | Reading group |
| Saturdays 3, 10, 24 and 31 Oct | 10am to 12pm | Kinson | Kinson knitters |
| Tuesday 6 Oct | All day | Springbourne | NHS health checks for people aged 40 to 74 |
| Wednesday 7 Oct | 11am to 12pm | Bournemouth | History talk: how a clockmaker found longitude at sea |
| Thursday 8 Oct | 10.30am to 12pm | Tuckton | Adult craft group |
| Monday 12 Oct | 11am to 12pm | Springbourne | Local heritage coffee morning |
| Wednesday 21 Oct | 11am to 12pm | Bournemouth | George Hurst centenary talk with Mark Wigglesworth, chief conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra |
| Monday 26 Oct | 2.30pm to 4pm | Tuckton | Tea and cake book club |
| Wednesday 28 Oct | 2pm to 3pm | Kinson | Poetry group |
| Wednesday 28 Oct | 3pm to 4pm | Boscombe | Knitting and crochet club |
| Thursday 29 Oct | 10.30am to 11.30am | Tuckton | Coffee morning: the history of the local RNLI with David Richmond-Coggin BEM |
The listing says some sessions must be booked at the library. The health checks are run by LiveWell Dorset. Canford Heath, Oakdale and Creekmoor libraries, all in Poole, have their own sessions on the same sheet.
What it means for you
If you are an older resident, or care for one, the Kinson afternoon puts a lot of help in one room. Benefits and energy advice, carers’ support and community transport are all hard to find one at a time.
Bring the old phone in the kitchen drawer for the tech amnesty. If you care for someone, the quiet space means you can bring them along and still talk to the stalls yourself.
Kinson library’s knitting group meets on Saturday 10 October, two days before. For your local collection days and the tip, see our Bournemouth bin collection days page.
Sources
- BCP Council, “Discover What’s on Your Doorstep at ElderFest”, 28 September 2026, for the three dates, venues and times, the list of what to expect, the 330 Christchurch attendees in 2025 and the partners.
- ElderFest Bournemouth 2026 poster, BCP Age Friendly Communities, for the full address, the over-30 organisations, the quiet space, the vaccination clinic and the tech amnesty.
- BCP Age Friendly Communities newsletter, September 2026, for the UK theme and the link to the libraries programme.
- What’s on in BCP Libraries: October, for every library session listed.
- Christchurch Community Partnership, ElderFest 2026, for the Christchurch stall count and the transport number.
Have your say