The pensioners movement

Zelda with Stan Davison, long term friend and "comrade-in-arms" in the pensioners movement

When I finally retired from paid work, I walked into the office of the Greater London Pensioners Association (GLPA) to sign on the dotted line and casually asked if there was any way I could help. I had to open my big mouth! Hardly had the word "help" left my lips than I was told I was unanimously elected Treasurer. Their idea of that job was not the conventional honorary one. I did the Income Tax, kept the books, helped run a bazaar and jumble sales and became their fundraiser. They had just lost their funding when I came on the scene and Harry Mundy, their President, was desparately anxious. Together we decided to make an appeal to the Trades Union movement, and the GLPA memberhsip rose to the task magnificently. They followed up our written appeals with verbal pressure at their branches and the response was very good. Others, out on street corners in all weathers with their petitions against welfare cuts, called for donations and we were pleased to see that young people, in particular, gave us their support.
These efforts kept us going while we continued putting the pressure on the London Borough Grants Committee to restore our grant. The fight was long and hard and at one memorable meeting the Committee's vote was a tie. The Chairman then used his casting vote - against us! Undaunted we hung in there until a change of political power in one Borough gave us the certainty of a vote for restoring our grant. Once that was achieved, and we were more financially secure, I resigned as Treasurer.
[Stan told me a funny story of how Zelda tried to resign as treasurer, but the secretary of the group died and the Chair was very ill. Zelda thought it would be impossible to resign under these circumstances, at which point Stan said "The lengths they'll go to to keep you as Treasurer!"]
I had found the lack of in-depth discussion of policy very frustrating and felt it was absolutely necessary to make time to think anew, in the light of changing times, about the different needs of pensioners, and to examine the possibilities of new methods of campaigning and of new allies to be wo. I was certain, too, that all ages needed to discuss together the future of the welfare state.
Having joined the "Democratic Left"(DL) I spoke to some of the members about my concerns and was pleased to find that some of the members had been thinking along the same lines. It was decided to try to develop a discussion group made up of all ages, which would examine thoroughly all the different arguments around pensioners issues. Once set up it was called AgeSpan (a name thought up by Stan Davison, its present Chairman), and its aims to challenge the age discrimination so rife in our society. But the major part of my time is devoted to working with older women through AGLOW (the Association of greater London Older Women). It has been rewarding to see the way the work has empowered some of the most disadvantaged older women and encouraged their talents to bloom. The variety of work is mind-boggling; from conferences on the issues of physical and mental health, housing, transport and education;self-defence and assertiveness;drumming, dancing, and drama. We helped women in Hackney to write and publish a book on the experience of Caribbean women coing to Britain; helped a woman in Brent set up a self-help group for those suffering from depression;and brought together older refugee women to discuss their health issues. We are now lobbying MPs for legislation against age discrimination and we are involved with European older women's groups.