Age Scotland is the national charity for older people in
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, UK. It is based in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
.
This registered charity formed on 1 April 2009 by the merger of
Help the Aged
Help the Aged was a United Kingdom based international charity founded in 1961 by Cecil Jackson-Cole and Hugh Faulkner to help disadvantaged older people who were affected by poverty, isolation and neglect. It merged with Age Concern in 2009 to f ...
in Scotland and
Age Concern
Age Concern is the banner title used by several charitable organisations specifically concerned with the needs and interests of all older people (defined as those over the age of 50) based chiefly in the four countries of the United Kingdom.
I ...
Scotland. It operated under its joint legacy brands as "Age Concern and Help the Aged in Scotland" until the new brand launched in April 2010. It also works interdependently with other UK charities, Age Cymru,
Age NI
Age NI is a registered charity in Northern Ireland, formed in April 2009, which combines the operations of the previously separate charities Age Concern NI and Help the Aged in Northern Ireland to form Northern Ireland's largest charity for olde ...
and
Age UK
Age UK is a registered charity in the United Kingdom, formed on 25 February 2009 and launched on 1 April 2009, as a merging of Age Concern England and Help the Aged.
Despite the national merger, many local Age Concern charities decided not to ...
.
Remit
The charity aims to act in partnership with others in promoting a better quality of life for Scotland's older people through:
* Campaigning and influencing on identified issues of concern, ensuring that older people's voices are heard at
local authority
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state.
Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...
,
Holyrood and
Westminster
Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...
levels, as well as globally through lobbying and campaigning activities and strategic partnerships.
* Supporting older people through the Age Scotland helpline, factsheets and its website.
* Working with local older people's groups across Scotland to help build stronger communities through its development staff and grants programme.
In 2023, Katherine Crawford is the CEO for Age Scotland.
History
Age Concern Scotland developed out of several Older People's Welfare Associations founded in 1944 during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Help the Aged in Scotland was established in 1986, when UK charity Help the Aged, founded in 1961, set up a permanent office in Edinburgh.
Age Concern Scotland offered a range of services directly, piloting programmes and developing locally based provision, while Help the Aged in Scotland was considered more as a campaigning and lobbying organisation.
The two charities collaborated on many issues and contributed to the 2002 introduction of Free Personal and Nursing Care and the implementation of the Adult Support and Protection Act in 2007. A joint campaign in 2005 led to the Burt Review of Council Tax, the report "A Fairer Way" the following year and the eventual freezing of the tax in Scotland for several years. They merged in 2009 to form the new organisation, Age Scotland.
Fundraising
Age Scotland had a £6.7 million income in 2022. Their income is funded through corporate partnerships, public funding, legacies and donations, fundraising events and charity shops around Scotland. It also runs Age Scotland Enterprises, which offers non-life insurance and planning-for-retirement products.
Age Scotland also leads the Unforgotten Forces partnership which received almost £1million in government funding in 2023.
Third Force News website
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References
{{Reflist
External links
Age Scotland website
Charities for the elderly based in the United Kingdom