In December 2008 the Northamptonshire Older Peoples Advisory Group (NOPAG) and the Active Ageing Network formally decided to merge; this took effect from the 1st April 2009. An Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held in June 2009 to elect officers.
As there were 2 organisations with a countywide remit for older people, members felt there were big advantages to merging to build on their strengths and join resources.
The new structure can be viewed on the link below:
Northants 50+ Network
The new organisation will be called the Northants 50+ Network and intend to work towards improving life for people over 50 in Northamptonshire by enabling them to have a voice, influence, participate and enjoy.
NOPAG
NOPAG had been established for over 5 years and had achieved some notable successes including:
- influencing the introduction of free bus passes through UKOPAG
- Active Aging conference in 2006 in Northamptonshire
- taking up a range of issues for older people
Active Ageing Network
The Active Ageing Network was established from the 2006 conference and went from strength to strength building up to over 1500 members. They had 3 main aims:
- To have a voice and be heard
- To give information and signpost people
- To be a catalyst for activities
They organised successful roadshows in 4 areas with over 1600 people attending, activities in various locations, trips across the county and working with older people to improve their health and well-being.