Charity takes active steps to appeal to the not-so-old

But the local group is leading the way by adding 50Plus to the title to signal a shift in emphasis of the services on offer.

The action dovetails with moves at national level to make the charity more relevant to younger people.

Driving this change locally is chief officer Geoffrey Crute.

After 15 years as Age Concern in Darlington, he felt things were starting to get set in their ways.

"So we had to look for changes which would update us and be more compatible with 2004 onwards," he said.

That was the first impetus. The second came when Age Concern nationally began to look at more services for those aged 50-plus.

"There are a lot of people who are very active and want to stay that way," said Mr Crute. "But if we are perceived as an organisation whose main reason for being there is to supply care to the elderly, it is hard to generate an interest in being active.

"We had to find ways of picking up on a different image to make us more attractive to younger elderly people.

"If it works, and there are signs it is starting to work even at this early stage, it should bring more people into the general sphere of influence."

Darlington has taken the step because this is the way the branch wants to approach its work.

"We felt we had mainly been perceived as being carers for the over-seventies," said Mr Crute. "We had a very low profile except in the eyes of those with whom we were closely involved.

"Also, there was a very small membership base to sustain the organisation in volunteers and finance.

"We felt re-branding was a way of trying to give ourselves a wake-up call."

Although moves were afoot at national level, it was easier for direct action to be taken locally.

Officially, the organisation's name is still Age Concern Darlington. Adding 50Plus merely gives people a point of identity. It is not an official change of name for the charity.

When the changes began in September, the regional field officer for Age Concern asked if Darlington was sure about what it was doing.

"There are some strict rules, but we went through all the guidelines and we are totally compliant," said Mr Crute.

The final push now is a result of financial problems earlier this year.

"Things had to move on," he said. "The alternative was to disappear off the face of the earth and that set the scene for change."

One difficulty was that some volunteers were getting to the stage of being service users. Mr Crute said that could be hard for them to come to terms with.

After Easter, he hopes to be able to revive facilities at the Bradbury House headquarters for those people to continue to meet.

Age Concern was set up in Darlington in 1989 and Bradbury House opened as its HQ in 1994.

The main service it still provides is day care, which has recently seen increased capacity to look after 150 people a week. This includes respite care in a social setting; help with bathing or washing; and stimulating activity.

The organisation is also busy with a new service for people who need a social setting but are not active. They are referred to Age Concern because the charity can meet that need and help them stay independent longer.

Mr Crute is thankful for good links with Darlington Borough Council.

"The authority has been very supportive of our organisation," he said.

Slowly, a more social side is being developed, but this is limited by space considerations at Bradbury House.

The agenda includes IT, drop-in sessions and a luncheon club which Mr Crute wants to build up with a younger profile.

There are also craft groups, creative writing, snooker and a hobby area.

To help move things forward, the organisation is spreading its wings in terms of accommodation.

A year ago it was decided that premises separate from Bradbury House were needed for an information and advice service.

"This is something we are expected to do," said Mr Crute, "but mainly dealing with issues towards the bottom of the problem scale. We wanted to move up a bit but we did not have the space at Bradbury House."

A small shop to rent was found in Clark's Yard and this was seen as ideal.

The project has been delayed with lottery funding snags and internal reorganisation at Bradbury House. But it will open in the spring in a move costing about £20,000.

"So there is an awful lot going on with us," said Mr Crute.

50Plus Age Concern has a total of nine full-time and 26 part-time staff. Workers do 140 home baths each week and running costs are about £500,000 a year

Mr Crute said fundraising was difficult. The organisation receives some money from the local primary care trust and the borough council, as some services overlap.

An insurance service also generates income and a development plan is being drawn up to increase the insurance business, partly to sustain other activities.

The Age Concern shop in Cockerton, Darlington, also brings in funds.

Mr Crute has been in charge for two years and feels things are heading in the right direction.

"We want to develop activities to support questions of leisure, learning and healthy living," he said. "We are doing a bit of that at Bradbury House and will develop more when Clark's Yard comes on stream."

He also sees a kind of outreach service being established.

"We want to develop networks within the whole Darlington scene in areas working with the elderly," said Mr Crute.

"The signs are there that we can do this as we wield some influence. It not only gives credibility to us but builds community support.

"I am happy with the job we do. I have enjoyed the last two years even though it has been damned hard work.

"I want to see us move to areas where we can exert influence by representing older people's voices - such as in the workplace or on pensions."

He said staff felt appreciated.

"Not a week goes by without a letter or a call from someone who just wants to say thanks. That is really gratifying," he added.

"And it is important that these thanks go to the people on the ground as this is often a very tough job."

Needless to say, there is a constant need for volunteers. Mr Crute wants to appoint a volunteer co-ordinator to develop the teams. There is no funding for this as yet but, luckily, he has someone willing to do the job on a voluntary basis for now.

* Anyone interested in helping out should contact 01325 362832