Our Story, Our Values.
Greater Nottingham has a rich history of pensioner groups. Based upon work, like Boots, Players and Raleigh, or upon the local church, chapel, Co-op and community centre, they have waxed and waned, come and gone as circumstances and personnel have changed. Few groups developed lasting relationships with each other and activities were mainly social, but sporadic political action also occurred. Prominent activists were Tom and Doreen Price in Arnold and John Ball in Clifton.
NPAG has its roots in the Radford Group, the 1991 brainchild of Irish pensioner, Mike Malone. Suspecting that he was nearing the end of his life, he sought the help of Councillor Sylvia Parsons who, at his request, became the first chairperson of what was to become NPAG. At about the same time, she also became chairperson of the Elderly Voices Working Party which was tasked by the City Council to develop relations between the council and pensioners.
The first meetings were held at Lenton’s All Souls Community Centre. NPAG then moved to a succession of other venues, including the old Co-operative department store on Wollaton Street and the Methodist Church on Parliament Street, before settling at its home for a decade, the British Legion on Parliament Terrace.
Successive leaders broadened NPAG’s influence and appeal and attracted a growing membership from city and county. When Sylvia Parsons resigned in 1995 to become Lord Mayor of Nottingham, Yvonne Pearson brought an “independent spirit” and a range of work experience in key Nottingham enterprises. Councillor John Peck brought a wartime fighter pilot’s determination as well as political acumen and when Roy Tomlinson succeeded him in 2004, he brought with him a love of show biz and a life long experience of working as a semi-professional entertainer and involvement with health charities.
Amongst a number of local politicians supporting NPAG in its early phase of development, Alan Simpson (MP for Nottingham South, 1992 – 2010) was outstanding in his contribution.
The following claims can be made about NPAG based on its history:
- Though not a new organisation, it retains some of its initial vigour and versatility and its early aspirations remain sharp.
- It has matured sufficiently to have clarified its core values and a strong sense of direction, including the need to be independent from political parties.
- It has had time to develop a growing repertoire of strategies to make the voice of the pensioner heard, including a balance between challenging authorities and the need to work co-operatively with them.
- It has staying power, though NPAG’s strength at any given time depends on the active participation and dynamism of its members, and currently this is high.
- It has a track record of attracting members from a cross section of the community, not only from the city and county but also from different cultures, life experiences and religious and political views.
- Because NPAG was founded fifteen years beforehand, its members were able to play their part in setting up the Elders’ Forum. However, though both organisations serve pensioners, NPAG remains distinctively
different because of its broader agenda and the need to retain its independence from local government.
- Its decision to affiliate to the National Pensioners’ Convention (NPC) places NPAG in a UK-wide and international pensioner movement and is evidence of its ability to work effectively with allies.
NPAG – YOUR LOCAL CHAMPION