ABOUT AGE CONCERN

Age Concern Kingston upon Thames is an independent, local charity.

The organisation is a member of Age Concern, the Federation, and is required to adhere to Age Concern national quality standards, but receives no automatic funding from Age Concern England.  We were formed in 1999, following the merger of Age Concern Kingston and Malden and Coombe Older People's Welfare Association, both of which had a long history of service provision within the Borough.

The charity's mission is:

To be an effective organisation that is recognised as a leader, committed to involving and empowering all older people in Kingston upon Thames.

Our aim is to enable the estimated 26,000 people over the age of 60 in the Borough of Kingston upon Thames to:

• live with independence and dignity
• decide the direction of their own lives
• enjoy life as part of the community.

We also work to:

• influence local policy and practice
• create a greater understanding of the needs of older people and their potential to contribute to community life.
  

Age Concern Kingston upon Thames is part of the Age Concern Federation, but receives no money from Age Concern England.

Click here to look at the website of AGE CONCERN ENGLAND, including fact sheets and the history of Age Concern.

Our Chair

Wendy Woods

Wendy Woods joined Age Concern Kingston as a Trustee in the year 2001 and has chaired the Board of Trustees since 2003. South African-born, Wendy Woods has lived in Surbiton for 26 years, having left South Africa with her husband, Donald Woods, and their five children, after becoming involved with Steve Biko and members of the Black Consciousness Movement in 1976. Wendy also belonged to the Black Sash , a women's movement which ran protests against Apartheid laws. The family were the subject of Richard Attenborough's film, Cry Freedom, which told the story of their friendship with Biko, his family and colleagues.

In London Wendy has worked as a journalist, contributing for a time to The Guardian women's page. She also worked for the International Broadcasting Trust, a television company whose remit was to make films solely on development and environment issues. She was Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Canon Collins Education Trust, a London-based charity which supports the education of black South Africans. She also ran her own project which sent books to rural schools in South Africa. In Kingston upon Thames she was Chair of a local group of Amnesty International, and is now a Trustee of the Mandela Statue Fund, which is working to have a statue of Nelson Mandela placed in Trafalgar Square later this year. She is also Chair of the Board of Trustees of a charity she founded with members of her family, called the Donald Woods Foundation, which is doing development work in South Africa.

‘I'm pleased to be settled in Surbiton and enjoying very much working in my local community,' says Wendy.  ‘I'm very interested in older people's concerns and entitlements and I think Age Concern generally does extremely valuable work. And it's particularly good to be part of AC Kingston, which is such a vibrant organisation and plays such an important part in older people's lives in the Borough.'

Our Chief Executive

Shane Brennan

Shane Brennan joined Age Concern Kingston as Community Services Development Manager in 1999, later becoming our Deputy CEO before successfully being appointed as Chief Executive at the end of 2004. Before joining AC Kingston Shane had many years of experience of working in both the private and charity sector.

He achieved his MBA via part-time study whilst Deputy CEO. Shane lives locally and is passionately committed to developing and sustaining quality services which address inequalities in the community.

He plays a prominent role within the charity sector, primarily as Chair of Kingston Voluntary Action (KVA), Kingston 's Council for Voluntary Service (CVS). He is also a trustee of South London CVS. Shane represents our organisation on several local panels, strategic groups and partnerships. He is involved at both a regional and national level, speaking at many regional, national and international events.

Shane says, ‘AC Kingston is a fantastic organisation which benefits from the tremendous commitment of its staff and volunteers, making a real difference to hundreds of people's lives in Kingston upon Thames every day.'

Shane can be contacted via: chiefexecutive@ageconcernkingston.org

MAKING A DONATION - Our work depends on donations. It doesn't matter how little or how often, every donation helps us in our work providing services for older people. Would you like to make a donation?

FUND RAISING - Our mission is to provide opportunities for older people in Kingston to enrich the quality of their lives. To do this we need voluntary income, so click on to find out more about how you can raise funds!

If you would like to know more about Age Concern Kingston upon Thames, please contact us.