A LARGE collection of documents from an older people’s group has been handed over to Hampshire Archives in Winchester.
The Eastleigh Southern Parishes Older People’s Forum (ESPOPF) was founded in 2000 as an independent group open to all those more than 55 years old and living in the local area.
The documents have been donated on the group’s behalf by Diane Andrewes, its former long-serving secretary. Additional work on the collection has been undertaken by local independent archivist Hester McDonald.
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Following its founding, ESPOPF championed older people’s needs, with more than 1,000 members at its height. As well as providing an information service, it ran campaigns on a number of local issues, such as public transport, hospital services and housing.
The group also conducted a series of research projects into the needs of older people, resulting in reports covering such varied topics as housing, medical prescriptions, hospital transport, cancer treatment and personal alarms.
Because of this research, members of ESPOPF were invited to speak on behalf of older people at a number of national and international conferences.
The Forum was disbanded in 2016.
Diane Andrewes said: “The collection of materials we are handing over to Hampshire Archives represents a huge amount of work, over a number of years, by volunteers who wanted to do something for their community, and in particular for older people whose needs are so often overlooked.
“An Eastleigh Borough Council officer once said to me, ‘I cannot develop policy on anecdotes, Mrs Andrewes.’ It made me realise how vital research would be to effect meaningful change for older people.
“It is a valuable legacy which we hope will be available for everyone, including future generations who may wish to discover what motivated, concerned and inspired older people at the start of the 21st century.”
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Adrienne Allen, Hampshire Archives archivist, said: “We’re delighted to be able to add this unusual and interesting set of papers to Hampshire’s county record, not just as evidence of the valuable work that the Forum has carried out over many years, but as a testament to the ways in which ordinary people can be empowered to improve the lives of others in their local area. This sort of collection is one of the main reasons why Hampshire Archives exists – to celebrate Hampshire people, their lives, concerns and achievements, and to make sure a record of them is saved for posterity.”
The collection of materials passed to the Hampshire Archives includes research reports, monthly newsletters and papers for meetings.
Final versions of the research reports can also be accessed via ESPOPF’s website at espopf.org.
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