CONTACTS

CONTENTS

Address	Age Concern North Dorset, Sturminster House, Bath Road, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, DT10 1AS [in the offices of QualitySolicitors Farnfields]
Telephone	01258 475582
Email	ac.northdorset@surfwise.co.uk
Office hours	Monday - Friday, 9 - 1 (answerphone out of hours - calls will always be returned but please repeat names and telephone numbers clearly to ensure that we will be able to contact you)

STAFF

Operations Officer	Eve Ryall
Drumming Project	Paula Fleming
Cook	Tracey Lewis
Lunch Club	Jacqui Wragg

TRUSTEES

Chair	Wendy Catley [co-ordinator - country car service]
Vice Chair	Frances Pearce
Treasurer	David Bacon [computer volunteer]
Trustee	Chris Spackman [fund raising and strategy]
Trustee	Nicky Beresford [carers specialist and projects]
Trustee	Richard Frost

VOLUNTEER CO-ORDINATORS

Befriending	Gary House
Birthdays	Betty Baker
Car Scheme	Wendy Catley
IT & Home Tech	Derek Abbott
Men in Sheds	Chris Spackman
Nail Cutting	Juliet Proctor
Tea & Chat	Rita Taylor & Hazel Belbin

USEFUL LINKS

Age UK

Age Concern Dorchester

Age Concern Blandford Forum

Sturquest

Dorset LINk - your voice on local health & care

Pramacare - Helping People at Home

HISTORY

Age Concern is inextricably linked to the upheaval of World War 11. The war made life more difficult for older people in many ways as younger women were in work and unable to look after older relatives and at the end of the war many people moved home to find work and older people were left in the rural villages. In 1940 representatives of national voluntary organisations concerned with older people and government departments were called together to a conference to consider the issues arising from their older population. Within a year the Old People’s Welfare Committee was established chaired by Eleanor Rathbone.

The birth of the welfare state in 1948 enabled firstly local and then central government to help fund the work of the Old People’s Welfare Committee.

In 1971 many of the local committees changed their name to Age Concern.

Each group or organisation is independent with their own constitution and trustee board which enables them to structure their services to older people living within their community.

Changes within the charity

Help the Aged and Age Concern have merged to form AgeUK, but the local groups and organisations remain autonomous. The larger organisations have been invited to change their name to AgeUK and the smaller groups have been invited to remain as an Age Concern, but to become a Friend of AgeUK.

Age Concern North Dorset (covering Sturminster Newton and the surrounding villages) will become a Friend of AgeUK with a special partnership relationship with AgeUK Dorchester. Most of our services and activities will remain the same. Our Information and Benefit Advice is now in the form of a monthly surgery at our offices and is arranged and supported by Dorset County Council and AgeUK Dorchester. All our other activities remain in place and we intend to build and expand on our present services.

Our office on the first floor of Sturminster House is the offices of QualitySolicitors - Farnfields and we work closely with them for the benefit of our clients.

We are extremely pleased to have Robert Walter M.P. as the President of our group. Concerns and issues are raised with him on behalf of older people in our area.

There are a great many changes happening at the present time in public services, benefits and pensions that present new challenges for older people and their carers in our region. At Age Concern North Dorset we are determined to continue to support, enable and represent older people in our area. We seek to given them a voice in decisions affecting their lives and to win recognition for the contribution every older person brings to society.