Letter from our Chair, Jim Cannon

Dear Members and Friends,

Our next Open meeting is on Monday 19^th May 2025 at 2pm at Friends Meeting House.

All are welcome to join us – both members and non-members.

Active Leisure is the topic for our next meeting and we have speakers from two organisations providing services to all and special services to older people.

York Leisure Centre at the Community Stadium, Energise Leisure Centre at Acomb, Burnholme Leisure centre and Yearsley Swimming pool are all managed by Better (also known as GLL). Kelly McTighe is the Healthwise Coordinator for Better York and she will be coming to tell us about the wide range of activities provided at the different centres. Pickleball, walking netball and chair-based exercises are just a few of the services on offer.

YSJ Active is part of York St John University and offers a range of activities for older people including an allotment group, walking football and rugby. Lucie Crowley is the Sports Facility and Service Co-ordinator and Sarah Hawley is the Development Officer. They will describe in outline their facilities and the opportunities available for older people to join in – a wide range of skill and activity level is on offer.

It is well known that the more active we are, the better our well-being and lifestyle are. Simple chair exercises to more vigorous activities help our health and outlook.

Bring a friend and ask your questions or set out your views. Refreshments will be available.

The Age Friendly York Citizens Group is open to all older people in York and details are available at AgeFriendlyYork@york.gov.uk. The Group meets on the first Thursday of every other month at West Offices from 10 – 11.30am with the next meeting on 5^th June – all are welcome.

Membership Year

Our membership year runs from April to March. Therefore, membership subscriptions for 2025 are now due and remain at only £5 per member (£10 for couples) – extra donations are very welcome.

Cost of postage is increasing and mailing paper copies of the Newsletter costs more than we receive in the basic membership so if you have a paper copy posted to you, please consider increasing your donation (or changing to an electronic version).

We bank with Lloyds Bank and it is enormously helpful to us if people can pay by Standing Order (SO). Let us know if you need help in setting up a standing order. More details are set out on the reverse of this letter.

Subscription Information for 2025

The benefits of belonging to YOPA include –

• Regular Open meetings for you and your friends at which matters relating to older people in York are covered/talked about/discussed.
• Four Newsletters a year with articles of interest to older people
• Information Fairs with many stands of local older people’s organisations
• Annual 50+ Festival with dozens of events across the City ranging from exercise and fitness to local history, music and gardening.
• During 2024 we held public meetings while we spent a lot of time working with York Council and others to maintain our visibility and continue to register the needs of older people.

Please consider paying by Standing Order to improve our efficiency. Our new bank account details are as follows: –

Account Name:     York Older Peoples Assembly

Bank:     Lloyds Bank

Sort Code:     30-99-50

Account Number:     77997668

Please note it is ESSENTIAL to ask your Bank to quote your full name on the instructions from them to our Bank. If you have any queries, please phone the office, or call our Treasurer Shirley Reed on 01759 372993.

We welcome donations and several members add a donation to their subscription.

Legacy

Our late Newsletter editor and past Chair, Bob Towner died at the beginning of the year and we have been grateful to receive a legacy from him in his will. There are also JUST GIVING pages in memory of Bob to allow people to give donations to YOPA, NY Moors railways, and Multiple Sclerosis.

If you would like help in adding something to your will as a legacy to YOPA, please get in touch.

We hope that you will choose to continue to be a Member of YOPA and look forward to seeing you at one of our future events.

Jim Cannon

Chair, York Older People’s Assembly, Email: yopachair@outlook.com

Bob Towner, Obituary

On 4^th January 2025, York Older People’s Assembly lost one of its greatest supporters when Bob Towner died aged 81.

Bob was born and brought up in Caversham, Reading. He excelled at sport, particularly rugby and cricket and played at county level.

Bob studied Industrial Chemistry at Loughborough then worked as a manager in the paints division of ICI in Slough.

Bob was elected as a councillor in Reading and was, for a time, the youngest Leader of a Council in the country. This experience led to a change of career into local government and he was appointed Deputy Director of Housing in Hillingdon and then Director of Housing in Haringey.

In 1985, the family came to York, where Bob took up the role of Housing Director and set about transforming the Housing Department.

Under his leadership, Tenants Choice was introduced, where council tenants, who had previously been told what they were getting, were given choices when needing new bathrooms, kitchens and colours of their front door. Repairs by appointment and the Tenants Charter followed.

A major refurbishment and improvement of the Bell Farm Estate was implemented.

Several sheltered schemes for older people were built including the award-winning City Mills.

One of the first things that he did was instigate the building of The Peasholme Centre for homeless people, which also provided accommodation for women, who had previously not been catered for.

York won awards for Excellence in Public Service for his pioneering work.

In 1995 Bob became Director of Community Services, a combined housing and social care department.

Glen Lodge and Barstow House residential care homes were converted to extra care sheltered accommodation.

The Housing Department won government and architectural awards, and tenant satisfaction was one of the highest in the UK when Bob retired.

After leaving the local authority in 2000, Bob became a consultant and was involved in housing inspections. He became a board member of several housing associations and was a member of the York Primary Care Trust and a trustee at York Hospital.

Bob was a major driver of York Older People’s Assembly. He was Chair in 2013 until 2018. He was a Trustee and produced our quarterly newsletter over many years until December 2024. At Open meetings, he was always asking the challenging question so he could report hot topics in the Newsletter.

Bob came back onto the Executive Committee in November 2021 and had a 100% attendance record since then – that is dedication!

George Wood said, “Bob saw a lot of change at YOPA – at critical times of change in personnel he kept things together – he was always there.”

Bob’s interests were walking, gardening, cricket, politics, cats and real ale and red wine.

We’ll miss you, Bob.

Jim Cannon, YOPA Chair