New Age Concern chair sets out new agenda (From Penarth Times)

New Age Concern chair sets out new agenda

PENARTH resident Mike Talbot, a former senior social services manager in Cardiff, has been elected as the new chair of Age Concern Cymru.

The new chair, a trustee of the charity for the past three years including the last year as deputy chair, was elected at the charity's AGM and Conference at Llandrindod Wells on October 11.

He replaces Sir Richard Lloyd Jones who steps down after completing his six-year tenure.

Mike has spent more than 40 years working in social services throughout Wales and England, including ten years as a local authority director, and was a trustee for seven years at the mental illness and alcohol abuse charity Turning Point.

He currently sits on the board of trustees for the Hafod Housing Trust.

Mike said: "I am very honoured and excited about my new role.

"The proportion of older people within the Welsh population is increasing all the time which provides the country with a number of challenges and, equally importantly, with a number of opportunities.

"Our main challenge is to ensure older people in Wales have a decent standard of living in their later years with adequate pensions, housing, health and social services and access to community services. Our other main challenge is to convince society that older people are not a burden but a group of people who can, and do, make valuable contributions to our communities every day at the workplace, within the home, and in our local communities.

"Our own figures show that older people provide several billion pounds worth of child care and more than a billion pounds worth of care to sick friends, relatives, and neighbours each year.

"Older people in Wales also undertake more voluntary work than any other part of the UK."

Speaking about Age Concern Cymru specifically, the new chair said: "Our agenda for the next few years is extremely full.