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The London Olympics 1948 and 2012 – Then and Now Older Londoners’ changing lives

The London Olympics 1948 and 2012 – Then and Now Older Londoners’ changing lives Gordon Deuchars, Policy & Campaigns Manager Age UK London. 1948 and 2012 – Older Londoners’ changing lives. Scale of the Games. The athletes.

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The London Olympics 1948 and 2012 – Then and Now Older Londoners’ changing lives

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  1. The London Olympics 1948 and 2012 – Then and Now Older Londoners’ changing lives Gordon Deuchars, Policy & Campaigns Manager Age UK London

  2. 1948 and 2012 – Older Londoners’ changing lives

  3. Scale of the Games

  4. The athletes 1948 Athletes were all amateur. British athletes had to make their own sportswear! 2012 Leading athletes are professionals, many have commercial sponsorship or Government support 1948 The British team trained for a week at Butlins 2012 Athletes have full time training and preparation programmes lasting for years

  5. Watching the Games 1948 – first Olympics to be televised. There were only 88,000 TV sets in Britain! In 2000, more than 3.7 billion people in 220 countries tuned in to watch the Sydney Olympics.

  6. Ageing and health then and now 1948 National Health Service is founded Life expectancy 71 for women, 66 for men So, 40% of people died before pension age 2012 One third of babies born in 2012 expected to reach 100 (UK) It’s worth celebrating!

  7. Incomes for older people • National Assistance Act 1948 modernised the UK’s old age pension system. • Before 1948: very low pension for poorest people aged 70+ • Single person’s pension in 1948: £1.30 per week • Equivalent in 2012: £107.45 per week

  8. Incomes for older people

  9. Diversity in 1948 and 2012 1948 ‘Empire Windrush’ arrived at Tilbury carrying 493 migrants 2012 Large and growing proportion of older black, Asian, minority ethnic and refugee Londoners from very many communities: 18% of 60+ in 2006, 34% projected in 2031 2012 An estimated 100,000 older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (OLGBT) Londoners. Homosexuality was illegal until 1967! 2012 An estimated 500,000 disabled Londoners aged 60+

  10. Social inclusion, isolation, loneliness Helping older people stay active and socially involved is key • Are older Londoners more socially isolated, or lonelier, than before? • Research suggests that the proportion of older people “feeling lonely” has been stable over a long period. • But we have an ageing population so there are probably more lonely individuals in 2012 than 1948.

  11. Olympics, Paralympics and inclusion • The Olympic and Paralympic values include: - Friendship - Equality • Older volunteers, workers, Olympians and Paralympians contribute to London 2012 • The Paralympics started from a small gathering of British war veterans in 1948 at Stoke Mandeville • In Beijing in 2008 over 3900 athletes from 146 countries took part

  12. Will the Games make London more accessible? 2012 Accessible Transport Strategy Evidence Olympics and Paralympics can make cities more accessible: Vancouver 2010, University of British Columbia research

  13. Older people and the Olympic Legacy We want an Olympic legacy which: • Supports health and wellbeing for older people too. ~ Green gyms ~ Affordable access to sports facilities ~ Fitness classes • Recognises older people’s contribution to London • Provides Lifetime Homes and Lifetime Neighbourhoods

  14. Thank you Any questions?

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