SENIORS CHAMPION

 

Robert & Rhona Boorman 
- Seniors Champions

 www.cambridgecope50.org

This Year Robert & Rhona Boorman celebrate 40 years of Partnership.

Their involvement in COPE (Cambridge Older People’s Enterprise), run from their front room, has just been a continuation of their lifetime of working as a team.

Robert went to school in Canada and Rhona went to school in Australia, they met at a birthday party in Singapore - and celebrate their Ruby wedding anniversary this year

Towards the end of their 17 years running a guest house in Cambridge Rhona received a call from her father asking for help as he had fallen down the stairs. They rushed to London, but he was nowhere to be found; he had gone shopping and after many hours finally returned with just a bag of oranges! 

Robert & Rhona decided to bring him to their home in order to help him, after converting a downstairs room in the private part of their guesthouse, they experienced the difficulties of caring for someone who was incontinent, suffering from minor strokes, who had been miss-diagnosed, ignored, let down by the NHS and by the social service system. 

To cut a long story short after hospitalisation and hours of care they managed to enable him to regain some independence for a time and then had the frustration of watching the “Caring Services” mistreat him and finally a NHS nurse killed him by removing a long term catheter and therefore poisoning him. Rhona then had the trauma of seeing a similar thing happen to her mother who fell at home scalding herself, breaking her hip and eventually being overdosed on morphine in Hospital. 

The strain of running a business and caring persuaded Robert & Rhona to sell their guest house and buy a bungalow to take early retirement, after years of working 80 hours a week.  

Robert took a part time job and became involved in local politics standing both for the City and County Councils and becoming responsible for publicity and campaigning for half the City.  Rhona chose to apply for a job working as PA to the Head of Adult Services with responsibility for Social Services, at Cambridgeshire County Council.  Rhona was instrumental in setting up the Cambridge Older Peoples’ Reference Group as part of BGOP in her County Council remit and in that capacity became aware of a City Council three-year project to give senior citizens a voice called Phoenix 2000. 
 

The City Council decided to close Phoenix 2000 at the end of the three years and the steering group wished to keep it going as a voluntary group, so they called a meeting, which Rhona was reporting as the Community Reporter for the Cambridge Evening News the local paper. Rhona offered to become the Secretary and suggested that Robert might be prepared to be Treasurer and they took a vote and Robert was elected. It reminded him of his days a junior army officer, when looking for volunteers! 

A steering committee was formed and the honorary officers drew up a constitution using the Help the Aged template, they decided to rename and re-launch the organisation and after some discussion COPE was chosen, as it is what older people have to do.

The Mayor of Cambridge was invited to open the first Forum held in October 2003, pictures and an article were published in the local paper. Later the Constitution was adopted, a management executive of 18 was voted to become Trustees and COPE became a registered Charity.

The Committee agreed to Robert’s suggestion that COPE would register its members and issue each with a membership card.

 

Robert’s previous experience as the office manager and later the owner of a Direct Sales Company (similar to Tupperware) and Rhona’s position as the National Sales Director responsible for some 500 demonstrators gave them the required skills to build & expand COPE.

 

A regular newsletter was introduced which was edited by a COPE activist who stood for the council and was elected. Robert then took over as Editor.   The Newsletter was sent to 200 people at the start, names that had been involved after three years of council operation, to the print run of 2,000 each month today.  COPE sends a copy of the Newsletter to every Parish, District, City and County Councillor, the local Members of Parliament and to many voluntary groups who work with and for older people. The Newsletter is also published on the COPE website: wwwcambridgecope50.org.

1,525 members recruited in less than four years has also been assisted by a campaigning effort in the local papers, we try to get an article, picture or letter published, at least one a week. As part of the campaigning effort and to encourage membership star speakers have been invited to COPE Forum events, Frank Field MP on Pensions, Prof Germaine Greer on age discrimination, Andrew Lansley CBE MP Shadow Minister of Health, Frank Cooper President of the National Pensioners Convention and many well known Cambridgeshire residents. 
 

COPE has targeted specific individuals to become members, and has Councillors from all the Political parties on the City and County Councils, the Chairman of the Mental Health Trust and also some Council Officers.

 

Robert & Rhona also speak to groups who invite them to meetings and they attend conferences both in Cambridgeshire and also occasionally elsewhere such as Help the Aged in London, NPC eastern Region, Shropshire Federation of Forums and a joint meeting of Age Concern and help the Aged in Lincolnshire.

 

COPE does not forget the Social side, which we use to raise funds and enjoy ourselves – Christmas and Tea dances, musical evenings, trips to places of interest, walking tours, river trips. Members can also purchase a COPE corporate discount card for 54 outlets in the area.