Listen to Ruth Evans...

"Ruth Evans from Help The Aged in Wales.Regional Development Officer for Mid and South West Wales.

I'm here at the event today at the Talbot Hotel in Tregaron to promote work of Help The Aged in Wales.

We're working in Ceredigion on developing independent forums for older people over 50 and we're specifically looking at the Tregaron area at the moment, and we've got a meeting in the Talbot Hotel on Wednesday 13 February at 2pm to get older people together to develop forums to campaign on issues that affect them.

It will be an independent forum and Help The Aged will be supporting the forum through our Forum Resource Manual and start-up grants.

We also have a directory of older people's Forums in Wales that give an idea for older people the information that is available throughout Wales, and the champions in the local authorities and the local health boards as well as the older people's strategy co-ordinators.

We have a 'spesking up for our age' conference in Wales on an annual basis and our next conference will be held in the Metropole Hotel , Llandrindod Wells on 5-6 March where older people from Wales come together to discuss the issues that affect them.

Help The Aged support the older people to take these issues forward in the forthcoming year.

We're specifically looking at campaigning in health this year and also helping Forums on how to develop campaigns in their local area, whether it's community area within local the health authority area or campaigning with a local health board.

We're here today as well to promote 'Your Winter Warm Up packs'.

That's a partnership between Help The Aged and British Gas where there are free thermometers for people to put in their home to help them keep warm this winter and also advice on keeping warm during the winter months.

Through the forums we do a bi-monthly newsletter called The Messenger, which is a bi-monthly bilingual newsletter where Forums across Wales can come together and share information on their campaigns and issues that are affecting them and what they've been successful in and how they've been doing it.

If you are interested in the work of Help The Aged in Ceredigion please do not hesitate to contact us, Ruth Evans on 01267 253964.

The Wales Office is based in Cardiff 02920 346 550 and the website is www.helptheaged.org.uk"