I WAS somewhat disappointed to read the article "Give us our own recreation hall, elderly tell council chiefs". The group in question, the Warrington Branch of the British Pensioner and Trade Union Action Association, N.W. Pensioners in short, are taking a very blinkered view of the way in which a centre for the elderly may be set up.

In May 1999, a seminar was held, under the aegis of Warrington Borough Council, at which the special needs of the older citizens in Warrington were discussed, and a 'wish list' was compiled. Subsequently a steering committee was set up with the objective of achieving a Warrington Older Peoples' Centre, recently renamed the Warrington Active Age Centre. The remit is to facilitate and help establish an Active Age Centre in Warrington. The centre will be for the use of Warrington's older residents (over 50s) regardless of colour, creed, income or state of health. It will also be available for the use of their representative groups or associations or clubs including, if they wish, N.W. Pensioners. There is, however, a major proviso the centre must be financially viable in both the short and long term.

Financial viability is a sticking point between N.W. Pensioners and the other groups representing older residents. The N.W. Pensioners are apparently demanding, that the centre, which would include a recreation hall among other facilities, is handed to them on a plate the money to buy a site (or building), design, construct and equip a dedicated standalone centre, and to cover subsequent running costs, should, in their view, be provided as a right. This may well explain why, after four years, they are still waiting.

The other members of the Active Age Centre Steering Committee do not share this view, and in October 2000, it was decided to go for another option i.e. to share premises (and thus costs) with the proposed Warrington Community Resource Centre. The idea of a dedicated standalone centre has not been entirely abandoned, but it is not the preferred option purely for cost reasons.

In the proposal for shared premises a significant number of voluntary sector organisations e.g. Age Concern, Warrington Housing Association, CVS, CAB etc., would share a building and some of the facilities with the Active Age Centre. We are currently at the stage of trying to estimate the size of building required.

A very considerable cost saving can be achieved for the Active Age Centre thus ensuring its long term viability, while at the same time offering all the facilities that are needed. Obviously the combined building will be very much bigger and more expensive, however we already know where half the expected cost will come from.

A great deal of work has been put into these projects with very strong support from Warrington Borough Council and we will get our Active Age Centre. It is a pity that N.W. Pensioners are apparently unwilling to consider or support this alternative approach. Peter Haslam of N.W. Pensioners, was recently elected to the Board of the Warrington Community Resource Centre perhaps things will change.

RANDAL WHITTAKER

Chairman of the Active Age Centre Steering Committee

Co-opted member of the Board of Warrington Community Resource Centre.