A FORUM for older people has been dissolved because of dwindling membership and attendance.

Plans had been mooted to rejuvenate Darlington Older Persons' Forum, which was formed in 1999.

A new-look and renamed group would have continued to campaign for a better life for people over the age of 50 and would have applied to become a charity to help with its fundraising.

But now a surprise decision has been taken not to restart the group.

At a meeting at the town hall on Friday, members decided to disband the forum in order to give support to other pensioner groups in the town.

The forum was set up to champion the causes of the elderly in the town, but members were keen to join forces with other organisations to strengthen their work.

It had been hoped that members of Help the Aged and Age Concern would join the forum, but at the meeting it was decided there was little point in having so many separate organisations all fighting for a similar cause.

Since it was established, a number of initiatives have been developed in Darlington, including the Senior Citizens' Association and Better Government for Older People.

Any money left in the group's accounts will be donated to the Darlington Senior Citizens' Association, which also works with elderly people in the town.

News of the closure comes just weeks before the planned launch of the Growing Older in Darlington strategy.

That will be launched later this month at the Dolphin Centre, with television presenter John Grundy as special guest and Canon Robert Spence as keynote speaker.

The strategy aims at getting older people involved in making the decisions that affect their lives as well as taking an active role in their community.