As the recently elected Chairman of the now revitalised Over 50 Caerphilly, I am taking this opportunity to introduce myself to you and to let you know a little about the up-coming work and projects of the Caerphilly County Borough 50+ Forum.

We are run by and for those who are 50+ and live or work in the county borough.  We currently have over 200 members but we want to provide support and information to many more of the 50,000 older people living in the borough. So we are actively looking at how we can increase our membership to help us be a more representative voice for local 50+ residents, giving you a chance to influence the way services are delivered to those who are 50+.

At our recent AGM and first meeting of our new Steering Group, we have been able to identify a small number of projects that we hope can be started immediately, including a Pen Pal project, telephone befriending and setting up a lunch club based in a local residential home but open to local 50+ residents to help people feel more connected and valued in their communities.

The Office for the Commissioner for Older People in Wales has also approached us recently to give them our thoughts on her work plan, a proposed Charter of rights for Older People. We also have representatives sitting on a range of National, regional and local groups ensuring that the opinions of local residents are heard.

As you can see we are trying to influence things in a range of ways. I hope this information will encourage you to consider joining us. We do understand that you might not want or may be unable to attend our public meetings but we would still like you to be a member as we will them be able to keep you informed via post about services and support and the work we are undertaking.  I have given you a forum application form and a free post addressed envelope to return it in should you wish to join the forum

Regards

Ralph Stevens
Chairman, Over 50 Caerphilly