February was a hard month for many.
The cold, grey days reminded us of the hardship too many older people have to face. And the situations facing the international aid sector will inevitably have consequences on poorer, vulnerable older people around the world.
In these times, it's important that people's voices are heard, along with creating a sense of the scale of that concern. And so, last month, we took the voices of older people, and all of us who care about older people, to the heart of Government.
In these times, it's important that people's voices are heard.
Leading the way
With many challenges ahead around the world, the rights of older people become even more important. And this is an important opportunity for the UK Government to take the lead as a champion of humanitarian issues.
Our Age International campaign for the UK to spearhead the creation of a UN Convention on the Rights of Older People is central to this. We went to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to hand in a petition of around 30,000 signatories calling on Foreign Secretary David Lammy to make history by protecting older people’s rights around the world. Our meeting with FCDO officials was cordial, although I suspect none of us were aware of the subsequent cuts in the Aid budget to come.
And then just a couple of days later, Age UK delivered a huge 650,056 signatures in support of our campaign to Save the Winter Fuel Payment for struggling pensioners. It was an extremely cold day, providing a reminder to everyone present as to why this campaign is so important. 1 million pensioners living alone and in poverty, or just above the poverty line, have lost their Winter Fuel Payment this year, and we know that this will have had a substantial impact on many people’s ability to get by and stay warm.
Looking to the future
As we begin to see the back of this winter, our message is clear - this must never happen again. There must be a better approach for the winter of 2025.
In this era of social media campaigning and the 24/7 news cycle, the idea of petitions may appear outdated to some. But I disagree. When we launched our Winter Fuel Payment campaign petition, we heard stories from our network of local Age UKs of older people queuing up to sign it. We were able to include the support of people who are digitally excluded, thereby channelling the concerns of so many into a single focus.
I’d like to thank everyone who has supported both Age UK and Age International in signing these petitions. In return, we will continue to campaign on these vital issues.
Use your voice to push for change
Learn how you can get involved with Age UK's campaigns to change how we age.
