Seniors Network

Scottish Seniors Alliance

The Scottish Seniors Alliance was launched on Friday 14th September, at a well attended meeting in the Glasgow City Chambers.

After a civic welcome by a Glasgow City Council baillie, Ellen Hurcombe, Martin Brickley the deputy chair of the SSA welcomed the delegates from all over Scotland.

The long awaited SSA has been set up to represent older people in Scotland. It will lead delegations to the Scottish Parliament and make submissions to government on policies affecting older people.
As well as providing a platform for views and comments it would have a critical role in communicating with the media to raise awareness of the issues that affect older people and to help influence public opinion.

The main speaker was Ian Small of BBC Scotland gave a very entertaining speech and commented on the disparity of the media and advertisers wherby 80% of output was aimed at younger people, most of whom were too young to buy. 

Lily Kennedy MBE, chair of Vale of Leven Senior Citizens Forum, gave a vote of thanks to the speakers and thanked the council and staff for hosting the event. She also thanked the delegates for attending but stressed the importance of getting behind the Scottish Seniors Alliance and giving it their full support.

She emphasised that this was an Alliance which the pensioners movement had needed and had been working towards for some considerable time.  It was now gathering strength and she urged the delegates to go back to their groups and spread the word about the alliance.

She ended by reminding them of the saying
"if you dont use it - you lose it"