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The Maiden City welcomes the Pensioners Parliament |
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Monday 11 April 2011
The very first County Derry Pensioners Parliament, as part of the Northern Ireland Pensioners Parliament, took place in the Tower Hotel in Londonderry on Friday (8th April) with over 80 older people from the county in attendance. The event, which was opened by Mayor of Derry, Councillor Colum Eastwood, was the penultimate ‘local parliament’ of which five have already taken place across Northern Ireland.
Organised by Age Sector Platform, the Northern Ireland Pensioners Parliament is the first of its kind here, and aims to ensure that older people’s views from every county in Northern Ireland are represented.
At the Londonderry parliament, older people from the county discussed and debated the issues that were of importance to them, with an expert panel on hand to provide advice and information on any complex points raised. Issues such as health, community safety and transport were discussed; alongside worries about keeping warm in winter and having enough money for a decent quality of life. The expert panel included Alan Corry Finn from the Western Health and Social Care Trust, Maureen Collins from Neighbourhood Assist, Paula Martin from Bridge Accessible Transport, Helena Hasson from the Community Safety Partnership and Inspector Michelle Boyd from the PSNI.
Opening the event, Councillor Eastwood, said: “I was delighted to be invited to open proceedings and I commend Age Sector Platform for organising this event. I truly believe this will help ensure the voice of older people in the County is heard. I am encouraged to hear that this is not the end of this process. In June this year, delegates from this event will join older people from across Northern Ireland in attending the overall 2-day Pensioners Parliament, where the priorities for older people across the province will be decided.”
Pat McLaughlin from Londonderry, who is a member of Age Sector Platform, commented: “Friday’s event has marked the beginning of a unique process for pensioners here in Londonderry. Instead of telling pensioners what they should be worried about, we actively encouraged them to tell us about the problems they face. It was truly a ‘bottom up’ approach. The audience interaction, through debate and voting, was a real triumph and we look forward to the two day regional parliament in Belfast during June.”
For more information on the Northern Ireland Pensioners Parliament, please visit www.pensionersparliament.org or phone 028 9031 2089.
To view photographs from the County Derry/Londonderry Pensioners Parliament click HERE
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