Monday 26 September 2005 - Timebank

Retired but not redundant
Campaign launched to tap into potential older volunteers
The voluntary sector is today, the start of Age Concern Week (1), being urged to tap into the growing over 55s demographic as a potential, but neglected, source of volunteers.

National volunteering charity TimeBank and VITA (2) have launched a national campaign, The ‘V’ Word, that aims to both challenge negative perceptions of ageing and to show over 55s all the positive benefits that volunteering in the 21 st century can offer.

Whilst participation in volunteering has increased in younger age groups, who have increasingly recognised the benefits volunteering brings, it has decreased amongst older people - ‘traditional’ volunteers. Research has found that it’s those who appear to have the least time available that tend to be most active in their communities (eg people with school age children and those with caring responsibilities), whilst older and unemployed people are the least active (3).

“In ten year’s time, half the UK’s population will be over 50 - this is the fastest growing and most powerful demographic, yet this group remains under represented in volunteering compared with people in their 30s and 40s,” says Sheila Windsor, VITA programme director.

Read the full press release >