Handover of ESPOPF Documents - 17 July 2024

Valuable local documents show ‘what motivated, concerned and inspired older people at the start of the 21st century’

A large collection of documents and other materials from a ground-breaking older people’s group in the county 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 over 55 years 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.

ESPOPF rapidly became a strong champion of older people’s needs in the area. At its height, the group had a membership of over 1,000 local people. As well as providing an important information service, it ran successful campaigns on a number of local issues, such as public transport, hospital services and housing.

In 2009, ESPOPF brought together a range of proposals to improve the lives of older people into a manifesto for the future, entitled the ‘Bursledon, Hamble Le Rice and Hound Age-Friendly Action Plan’.

The Forum 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. An unusual aspect of this research was that older people were themselves in charge of each project – rather than the research and conclusions being shaped by professionals and academics. 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.’

Adrienne Allen, Hampshire Archives archivist, commented:

“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 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.”

Local independent archivist Hester McDonald added:

‘Working on this project has made me realise that groundbreaking, vital research and change can come from the least expected places and people. This collection of papers is a wonderfully rich resource for anyone interested in how important forums are for exploring and making that change happen.’

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 using the menu at the top of this page.