Age of opportunity: Putting the ageing society on the agenda

NPC set up the independent Commission on the Voluntary Sector & Ageing, together with ILC-UK, to spark long-term thinking about how demographic changes will affect the voluntary sector. The Commission is chaired by Lynne Berry OBE and is funded by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund and by Prudential.

This first discussion paper from the Commission issues a challenge to the voluntary sector to engage with the debate and start preparing for the changes ahead.

The paper provides context on the voluntary sector and the country’s ageing population, and then considers how this will impact on the following areas:

  1. Relations between the different sectors
  2. Health and well-being
  3. Technology
  4. Volunteering and trusteeship
  5. Employment
  6. Fundraising

For each area, the paper sets the scene with some key stats and then puts forward extreme scenarios of what the future will be like in twenty years time based on the trends identified. The aim is to spark thinking and action about what we can all do now to take control and shape the future we want to see. People living longer, healthier lives is a great opportunity for our society and one that the charity sector needs to take advantage of.

We all want England to be a great place to live in, to grow up in and to grow old in—let us act now to secure that brighter future.

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