Dumfries and Galloway phoenix rises

A new older people's campaigning body has been launched in Dumfries, and the Dumfries and Galloway Over 50s Group hopes to fill some of the void left by the demise of the region's Seniors Forum earlier this year, particularly in pressing for better representation and improved services for older people. 
Age Scotland organised the meeting to establish the new group following an initial discussion around the need for such a representative body back in February. 
The Charity's Regional Development Officer Morag Halliday said: "It was a major blow when the Dumfries and Galloway Seniors' Forum folded and older people in the region suddenly found themselves without a voice, so it was heartening to see such a large number of over 50s turn out to support the creation of a new group to replace the Seniors Forum at that meeting."
John White, former Seniors Forum treasurer, said: "Twelve of us have met with Morag and devised a new governance structure which our peers adopted at this week's meeting to establish a new vibrant group that will represent and bring together older people across the region."
At the meeting in St George's Church Hall, members agreed a constitution and elected a management committee.  The group's stated objective is to put people aged over 50, their representatives and their communities, at the heart of planning, decision making and the delivery of the support and services that people aged over 50 require, ensuring dignity and a reasonable quality of life as they grow older. 
The Dumfries & Galloway Seniors' Forum had been going for 22 years with more than 3,000 members from across the region and was one of the largest of its kind in Scotland. But because it relied on core funding from the local authority and with no guarantee of future council money, a decision was made at the end of last year to wind it up.
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