A THANK YOU MIGHT BE NICE

By Simon Dodd

I've lost count of the village halls, food banks and charity shops I've walked into. The people keeping them going are nearly always over 55. They sort donations, drive neighbours to hospital and balance the books. None of it shows up on a payroll, and most of it would stop if they did.

It frustrates me how often older people are talked about as a cost: pensions, health care, social care. Far less about what they give. From where I stand, the over-55s aren't a burden on the system. They're the part of it that still works.

The figures prove it. In the government's Community Life Survey 2024/25, 23% of 65 to 74 year olds volunteered formally at least monthly, against an all-adult average of 17%. The age group everyone calls "retired" is working hardest for nothing.

I see them everywhere. In Gargrave and Malhamdale Library, saved from closure in 2012 and now run by 20 volunteers, most over 60. In more than 1,150 Men's Sheds, where 33,000 people a week find tools, tea and company instead of a referral form. In council chambers, where 42% of councillors are 65 or over.

They fill gaps no budget could. The Royal Voluntary Service found 46% of non-drivers over 70 had missed healthcare appointments for lack of transport. The answer, from Cornwall to Fife, has been volunteer drivers, many retirees themselves. As one driver, Val Mowat, put it, the aim is to take some of the anxiety away. That isn't a taxi service. That's care.

And this backbone is straining. Monthly formal volunteering among 65 to 74 year olds fell from 31% before the pandemic to 23%. The state pension age is rising to 67. Living costs push others back into work or family care. And the same few people end up as treasurer, driver and chair at once, which is how burnout starts.

Here's what I want. Count volunteer hours alongside spending, so the cost of losing them is visible. Pay expenses and offer training. Ask older people directly, because a quarter of over-65s who don't volunteer think they're "not the right age". Offer roles that fit around a life.

Volunteers should add to public services, not quietly prop them up. Next time a library stays open or a neighbour makes their appointment, look at who made it happen. Chances are, they have been doing it for years, and no one has thought to say thank you.

Simon is MD at A3A