This month Age Concern England and Help The Aged formally became one organization. So the baby is born and we hope that it will become a strong and positive voice for older people in the United Kingdom. However, it is important to understand that every Age Concern in England is independent, and that Age Concern Brighton Hove & Portslade is a formally established Charity in its own right and will work with, but not be a owned by, the new national Charity.

Our concern is, and will always be, the welfare and needs of older people in the City of Brighton & Hove. Our identity is local, our clients are local and  our fundamental commitment is to the local people of this City and their families.  It is important that we say that loudly because many of you give us donations and legacies and need to know that what is given locally is spent locally, that will never change. It is also important that you remember to put `to be spent in Brighton & Hove’ if your are leaving us money in a will because otherwise it might go to the national charity.

We have been around over 45 years and all of our services are client based and client driven. You are our priority; whether joining in activities, having your toe nails cut, finding out what benefits you qualify for, using our computer suite, obtaining travel insurance or competing against each other on the Nintendo ten pin bowling. Our mission is clear, contracts and other funding are simply a means to achieving that mission, which is why we also fund over 20% of the work we do from legacies and other income generation.

We want everyone to understand that our clients should never experience isolation, are capable of so many things given half a chance, have a right to be economically secure, are not and will not be invisible. The true measure of any society is how it treats its most vulnerable and how it respects those who have worked so hard to create the City and world we live in.

Jim Baker
Director
Age Concern Brighton Hove Portslade

Jim's interview given to Third Sector Leaders (ACEVO) 1.4 MB
(You will need Acrobat Reader to view this interview.)

*NEW* Question & Answer Information Sheet

Annual Report 2008-2009