Celebrating 80 years of supporting older people
On January 22, 1943, the first gathering of the Scottish Old People’s Welfare Committee took place in Edinburgh. It brought together volunteers and charitable organisations concerned with the welfare of older people and can be seen as the earliest incarnation of Age Scotland.
As Age Scotland marks 80 years of working to improve the lives of older people, it is interesting to look back at some of the charity’s predecessors. SOPWC, for example, led to the creation of Meals on Wheels, home help services and visiting schemes – the precursors of today’s befriending services.
At the start of the 1950s there was a huge growth in the number of older people’s organisations, with 156 registered by 1954. Even more impressive was the breadth of activities and services developed and delivered by both local committees, and SOPWC.
The 1960s saw a further expansion of older people’s clubs. SOPWC also played a campaigning role in drawing attention to the challenges facing older people.
In 1971, SOPWC became the Scottish Old People’s Welfare Council, an independent charity. After much discussion the council settled on the name Age Concern Scotland and in 1973 appointed its first director – George Foulkes, later Lord Foulkes, who returned to Age Scotland as chairman four decades later.
In the 1980s, Age Concern Scotland lifted the taboo on dementia, holding a conference which led to the creation of Scottish Action on Dementia. Under the auspices of Age Concern Scotland, Scottish Action on Dementia grew into an important voice for people living with dementia and their carers. Later the group merged with Alzheimers Scotland to continue its work.
The first Care and Repair project was started by Age Concern Scotland in Edinburgh, raising more than £100,000 to help 200 people in its first year.
The dawn of a new millennium saw Age Concern Scotland offer trainings, including computer training for older people wanting to use the internet and email. In 2009, the first Scottish Older People’s Assembly was held and later that year Age Concern Scotland and Help the Aged came together to form a new charity dedicated to improving the lives of older people. It was called Age Scotland.
We’re enormously proud of the work Age Scotland does, and grateful for the pioneers who started the ball rolling eight decades ago. We are still campaigning for suitable housing for older people, supporting older people living in poverty and tackling loneliness, along with the many other strands of our work to make Scotland a better place to grow old.
