We’re here for you
New number launched for Wales information service
38%
increase in social media followers
100,000+
individual visitors to our website
10,000
100,000+
physical activity experiences delivered
volunteer hours
11% +
of our turnover distributed in grants
100,000+
resources distributed
Cover story: A very happy Age Cymru HandyVan customer. Inside cover: Images from our infographic www.agecymru.org.uk/film
20,000+ calls to our advice lines
People in Wales are living longer, which is something to be celebrated, but of course it brings challenges. Age Cymru is expert at understanding and addressing these challenges as we continue to be THE older people’s charity in Wales. Picture this... • a world where we celebrate ageing and treat people of all ages fairly, with dignity and respect • financial security for us all and an end to poverty in later life • better health for longer and improved care when we need it • excellent support to stay independent when we are frail or caring for loved ones • communities where everyone is able to have fun, take part and have a voice • diversity to be recognised and support for the most vulnerable to be provided • products and services designed to meet our needs as we age. If we can achieve this we would have a great place in which to live our latter years. Please accept our invitation to reflect on our achievements during 2013/14 and to join us on our journey to create an age friendly Wales... it’s your future we’re working for. Ian Thomas Chief Executive
Dr Bernadette Fuge MB BCH, LLM, MPH Chair 1
We’re making a difference We have the ear of government - House of Lords, House of Commons and Sennedd
Acknowledged as experts
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We can create a Wales where it’s great to live in our later years.
We know the lives of older people across Wales are made better by the work we undertake through our influencing and campaigning work. We are acknowledged as experts by those in power and this is demonstrated through our work to influence and advise politicians and the highest authorities across Wales. We know they listen. This was aptly demonstrated through our work on one of the most comprehensive pieces of legislation passed by the National Assembly for Wales and the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. Age Cymru was an integral player and contributed via committees, advisory groups, and submitted written and oral evidence. Age Cymru was quoted and referenced during key debates and we were delighted that specific areas of concern we campaigned for were ultimately included. Our campaign to tackle scams and swindles was launched featuring a heartbreaking personal story by BBC political correspondent, David Cornock. We’re calling for more protection for older people from criminals who ruthlessly steal from them. The response of politicians, stakeholders and the public itself makes it clear it’s an area of great concern. High profile debates were hosted and facilitated by leading politicians and included contributions from business stakeholders. The campaign has received support from the Houses of Parliament in Westminster and the National Assembly for Wales. In our continuing fight to combat the abuse of older people, we launched a groundbreaking project specifically targeting people aged 50 plus in the early stages of
dementia (and their carers). Our innovative training programme helps participants recognise, deal with and avoid scams; it empowers them to say no to cold callers, rogue traders, scam mail, fake lotteries and competitions. It’s funded by Comic Relief and is in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society. Our annual journal, Envisage, explores issues affecting older people, shares good practice and stimulates discussion. Our tenth edition focused on active ageing and featured articles by Wales’s Chief Medical Office; the University of South Wales; the Older People’s Commissioner’s Office; and NIACE (National Institute of Adult Continuing Education). During the year we worked closely with the Wales Audit Office to impart and publicise good practice in relation to charity governance and managing trustee boards.
Future work • Develop and promote the concept of an age friendly Wales. • Improve the provision and quality of social care in Wales. • Highlight the issue of older people’s poverty in Wales. • Reduce the number of older people affected by scams.
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You can rely on us Age Cymru continues to be recognised as a leading authority on all matters relating to ageing. We use this experience to deliver quality through all the services we provide. Social media success
100,000 resources distributed
We’re in regular contact with every care home in Wales
This year we developed a new HandyVan service to assist with all sorts of odd jobs, small repairs, safety measures, home security and we offer free home energy checks and energy efficiency measures too. It’s proved so popular we’re hoping to expand it further. Having choice and a voice are key tenets in life, and in some ways that becomes even more relevant as we age. Age Cymru is here to ensure you have all the information and advice you need to enable you and your loved ones maintain independence wherever you live. We launched a new telephone number for our advice line and, together with our local partners, we know that more than 20,000 calls were answered asking for our help. We also expanded our face to face offering with an appointment based service that is constantly in demand. Our extensive range of guides and factsheets were distributed in person and also downloaded from our website. We know the demand for this trusted service is high and so we’re asking the Welsh Government and other funders to support our network in delivering quality, accurate, impartial and expert advice across communities in Wales. Our innovative and successful My Home Life Cymru programme secured funding from the Burdett Trust to enable more care homes to pilot relationship-centred approaches to managing, living in and visiting care
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homes. The aim is to improve the quality of life for everyone involved and ensure care homes are part of their local community. We know My Home Life works – we have residents, care staff, managers and business owners who tell us how it’s changed them for the better. Our opinion and our news releases are welcomed both online and through traditional media outlets. During the year our website attracted more than 100,000 individual visitors. Our social media followers grew by 38% and we were featured in the press, TV and radio nearly 800 times. We’re proud to have achieved the Investors in People accreditation mark during the year and all our staff were involved in compiling our values and behaviours:
caring determined empowering effective inclusive Future work • Ensure the My Home Life Cymru programme is promoted to service commissioners. • Develop and grow our information and advice service. • Expand our Handyvan service.
We’re in your community here “ We’re for you.
We continue to expand our local presence in communities across Wales. We were delighted to welcome Age Cymru Pembrokeshire this year and to see the development of new and exciting services through our local partners to support older people locally. Age Cymru’s social enterprise expanded with the opening of new premises in the heart of Caerphilly. A joint initiative between Age Cymru and Age Cymru Gwent, is a traditional retail offering of new and recycled goods, coupled with the opportunity to purchase insurance and other services at the same time.
Future work • Work with and support our local partners to develop (including their trading operations). • Support a full time face to face information and advice service in the community through our trading offices. • Develop our high street presence by opening a second concept store combining retail, trading, information and advice and affinity products in south east Wales. • Reduce operational costs and continue to combine social enterprises and retail wherever we can.
Our retail business commenced a national donation bag collection service, delivering more than half a million across Wales, resulting in a higher than sector average return. Working with our national partners of Age NI, Age Scotland and Age UK we all supported the Energy Bill Revolution, the campaign for warm homes and low bills. We all recognise the desperate plight some of our most vulnerable older people experience through fuel poverty. Our charity shops and trading outlets: Age Cymru Bangor Age Cymru Caerphilly Age Cymru Cardiff* Age Cymru Ebbw Vale Age Cymru Mold
Age Cymru Monmouth Age Cymru Pontypridd* Age Cymru Porthcawl Age Cymru Rhyl Age Cymru Wrexham
Financial services and products are available at the *outlets Many Age Concerns have adopted the Age Cymru brand. These are our local Age Cymru partners: Age Cymru Afan Nedd Age Cymru Ceredigion Age Cymru Gwent* Age Cymru Gwynedd a Môn*
Age Cymru Pembrokeshire (rebrand March 2014) Age Cymru Powys Age Cymru Sir Gâr Age Cymru Swansea Bay*
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You can do this... we can help 100% reported an increase in their level of physical activity
86% of Gwanwyn participants said “I’ve learned something new!”
People are living longer, which is something to be celebrated... but can we live longer in a more healthy way? Age Cymru has dedicated areas of work to assist people in making choices to improve health and wellbeing in later life.
to ensure it was fit for purpose and easy to use. Based on the feedback we gave, the necessary changes were made and we are delighted to have secured funding to support the delivery of these health and lifestyle checks until 2016.
Our Nordic Walking programme continues to grow thanks to our dedicated network of 60 volunteers who ensured more than 700 people took part last year. Feedback tells us that 94% experienced a direct health benefit.
Thousands of our winter wellbeing advice materials and resources from our Spread the Warmth and Keep Well this Winter campaigns were distributed across Wales. We partnered with more than 700 pharmacies to ensure those who may be vulnerable and isolated received this information where possible.
For those less able, we have our own unique Low Impact Functional Training (LIFT) programme. Being able to participate in gentle exercise, in a community setting, has proved hugely popular and provides new opportunities for volunteers too. We delivered more than 4,500 LIFT experiences and 100% of older people that took part reported they had increased their level of physical activity. Our ‘Shake a leg’ programme with Rubicon Dance was launched to promote safe and health enhancing dance sessions for older people across Wales. Our arts festival, Gwanwyn, celebrated its seventh birthday by awarding 48 small grants for a wide range of arts sessions. A total of 400 events took place involving 65 community groups and more than 9,500 participants. 86% of Gwanwyn participants said “I’ve learned something new!”
Future work • Extend our volunteer base for healthy ageing programmes. • Expand LIFT. • Maintain but also diversify to different artistic routes for Gwanwyn.
During the year we were funded by Welsh Government to pilot a new initiative called Add To Your Life. Our staff set up focus groups to test the proposed online questionnaire
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We’re so much more together Age Cymru is committed to improving life for older people, but we know we can’t do this alone. That’s why the relationships we foster, build and maintain are central to what we deliver. We’d like to think we are a lynchpin in bringing many issues to the fore and ensuring older people’s voices are heard. Our Older Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Network and our Older Minority Ethnic Network offer a safe space for marginalised voices to be heard and influence policy. They also seek to identify and spread examples of best practice and highlight and challenge discriminatory practices. Both networks developed manifestoes during the year calling on the Welsh Government to change, develop and deliver services to take into account the needs of LGBT and minority ethnic people in later life. Both networks will also develop a focus on social care during 2014/15. The two groups worked together at Cardiff Wales LGBT Mardi Gras 2013 to recruit for membership and also exhibited at various events including Black History Month. We continue to fund and support Age Alliance Wales, which has 19 charitable members, and of course the work we undertake with the five national organisations of older people. We also supported nearly 70 local groups of older people through our Winter Celebration Grants programme. This invaluable festive funding is given to bring warmth and
cheer to those who may not otherwise have the opportunity to join with others. Age Cymru’s Consultative Forum provided us with extensive feedback on consultations and policy issues throughout the year. Our Age Cymru networks expanded across the board including information and advice, advocacy and safeguarding. During the year we shared our skills and expertise with older people. Through a series of training days we delivered sessions on the use of the internet and social media, how to run local campaigns, dealing with the media, writing effective newsletters and fundraising too.
Future work • Research the experience of ageism and age discrimination in the NHS in Wales. • Test the views of older people on issues around the cost of and paying for care. • Grow membership of all our networks. • Develop and deliver Age Positive Week.
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We couldn’t do it without you working for.
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your “ It’s future we’re
Left to right, Trystan Llyr Griffiths, Matthew Rhys and Leigh Halfpenny.
Alwyn Humphreys Arfon Haines Davies Daniel Phillips Gwawr Edwards Karl Davies Leigh Halfpenny Matthew Rhys Nathan Walsh Only Men Aloud Owain Wyn Evans Trystan Llyr Griffiths 10
We rely on many people and organisations for their support so a massive thank you to you all. Our volunteers give many thousands of hours in our shops, delivering healthy ageing programmes, through fundraising activities, membership of our networks and helping at our offices too. We would also like to thank our staff and Board of Trustees who are hugely committed to realising our vision and mission. Our generous corporate supporters are listed and we’re grateful to our statutory partners for whom we deliver work. Of course a huge thank you goes to those who choose to support us through voluntary contributions and via gifts in wills. We’re delighted to have secured the support of Wales and British Lions rugby superstar Leigh Halfpenny, whose grandfather Malcolm is such an inspiration to him. In his words “this is my legacy to Wales, what’s yours going to be?”
Ageas, Age UK, Barchester Healthcare, Blakemore Foundation, Broomfield and Alexander, Bruton Knowles, Burdett Trust, Capital Law, Cardiff City Association Football Club, Comic Relief, Community Housing Cymru Group, Computeworld Wales, The Dezna Robins Jones Charitable Foundation, Ebico Trust, E-on Energy, EPRoductive, Four Seasons Health Care, Foxtroy Care Home, Framing Wales, Geldards Solicitors, Hengoed Court Nursing Home, HMP Cardiff, Hugh James Solicitors, Monro, Pencoed Care Home, Gill Advertising, Simon Gibson Charitable Trust, SCA Hygiene Products UK Ltd, Sir Julian Hodge Charitable Trust, Sŵn y Môr Care Centre, Thomas Carroll Insurance Brokers, Tregwilym Lodge Nursing Home, United Welsh Housing Association, Wales and West Utilities, Western Power Distribution, Wilkinsons. The estates of the late: E Arthur, M Artur, G Bailey, L Baldwyn, P Brown, S Collins, C Dempsey, T Endall, W Evans, P Griffiths, D Hobbs, G Jones, R Lowick, E Moore, M Morgan, M Owen, I Richards, M Robins, C Thomas, D Walker, E Wood.
Charitable income
Charitable income
Legacies, donations and events Grants Age UK Other including investment Social enterprise Retail and trading
Charitable expenditure Influencing policy and practise
These pie charts are representative of the figures extracted from the full Trustees annual report and consolidated financial statements which were approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf on 15 July 2014. On 23 September 2014 Broomfield and Alexander gave an unqualified audit report on the full financial statements. The auditors have confirmed, the summarised financial statements are consistent with the full financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2014. These summarised financial statements may not contain sufficient information to gain a complete understanding of the financial affairs of the Age Cymru group. The full Trustees report, financial statements and auditors report may be obtained from: Age Cymru, Tyˆ John Pathy, 13/14 Neptune Court, Vanguard Way, Cardiff, CF24 5PJ.
High quality services Engagement Charitable expenditure
Strong evidence base Sustainable national organisation Support to partners Income resources Retail and trading Governance 11
you “ Can give a little
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bit back?
Get involved Awards Every year Age Cymru is privileged to work with incredible volunteers and participants. We want to celebrate and recognise the outstanding contributions that many people make to the lives of older people through our work. www.agecymru.org.uk/awards Corporate support Want to raise the profile of your business? Talk to us about a corporate partnership and we’ll tell you how we can help. www.agecymru.org.uk/corporatepartners Buy Many of us want to remain independent, which is why we offer fantastic products and services. Many older people choose to arrange their insurance* through Age Cymru or one of our local Age Cymru partners. We also offer a great range of competitive deals on products including stair lifts, bathing aids and other mobility products. www.agecymru.org.uk/local
Leigh Halfpenny, Wales and British & Irish Lions, with grandfather Malcolm, who are backing our legacy campaign.
* Home, travel and motor insurances provided by Ageas Insurance Limited.
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Donate Every donation, small or large, is truly valued as it really does make a difference to us continuing our work. Our charity shops across Wales need donations of clothes, books, ornaments, jewellery and household furniture. We’re proud that the money we raise through our shops is spent on projects in Wales. www.agecymru.org.uk/donate Fundraise There are so many different and unique ways that you can raise money for us... from cake bakes to bungee jumps, our dedicated fundraising team will help you
make the most of your event and ensure you get the fulfilment and recognition you deserve. www.agecymru.org.uk/getinvolved Remember us in your will Leaving a legacy to Age Cymru will ensure we are here for future generations. Many older people have a huge influence on the lives of their grandchildren. Grandfather, Malcolm Halfpenny knows this only too well as he supported his grandson Leigh to success as a Wales and British & Irish Lions rugby superstar. www.agecymru.org.uk/legacy Volunteer Volunteer for one of our charitable services. It could be in our shops, our offices, in your community or at one of our fundraising events. www.agecymru.org.uk/volunteer
Tŷ John Pathy, 13/14 Neptune Court, Vanguard Way, Cardiff CF24 5PJ t 029 2043 1555 f 029 2047 1418 e enquiries@agecymru.org.uk www.agecymru.org.uk facebook.com/agecymru
@agecymru
Age Cymru is a registered charity 1128436 and a company limited by guarantee 6837284. Age Cymru Retail Ltd 8010768, Age Cymru Enterprises Ltd 6776928, Age Cymru Trading Ltd 8011995. All companies are registered in England and Wales. All quotes and statistics can be referenced on request.