12:50pm Saturday 17th October 2009
THE special guest at Age Concern Hampshire’s annual conference in Winchester was Rosemary Squires.
The vocalist, who is celebrating 60 years in show business, lent her support to the charity’s campaign against age discrimination.
Former Southampton FC manager, Lawrie McMenemy, who presided over the event, was also there to back the cause.
The charity’s annual conference, held in The Great Hall on Tuesday (October 13), also featured several expert speakers.
They included Claire Dodds of the State Pension directorate and Joe Harris, vice president of the National Pensioners Convention.
Tom Wright, chief executive of the newly merged Age Concern England and Help the Aged, was also on the bill.
Chris Perry, director of Age Concern Hampshire, said one of the main issues discussed was enforced retirement, where firms make older workers redundant in tough times.
He added: “We believe that retirement should be a positive choice by the individual, taking into account the pension they will get, their job satisfaction, health and personal circumstances with everyone having an adequate income in retirement above the European poverty line.”
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