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The first fifty years - 1947 to 1997
In looking back over the fifty years of our existence 1947-1997, first as the National Corporation for the Care of Old People and more recently as the Centre for Policy on Ageing (CPA), it quickly becomes evident that we have been supported during that time by an impressively long line of illustrious benefactors and supporters. Although it would be impossible to acknowledge by name the contribution of all, we wish to take this opportunity to thank some, mainly members, who have been particularly closely associated with the Centre. For our very existence we are indebted to the social conscience of William Morris, Lord Nuffield, and the generosity not only of the Nuffield Foundation but also of the Lord Mayor of the City of London through the Air Raid Distress Fund and of the South Africa Gift. The Nuffield Foundation -its past and present Trustees, Directors and staff- have been a constant source of support over the years, with representatives sitting on our own Board of Governors. Other Foundations have also been generous in their sponsoring of our work -in particular the Hayward Foundation, the May Fund and the Marjorie Warren Fund -dedicated as most readers will know to the memory of one of the 'founding mothers' of British gerontology. From our earliest years, the Department of Health (and Social Security, until 1988) and other government departments have supported our work, looking to us for innovative ideas and 'new attitudes to old age'.
Throughout the years, we have been honoured by the presence of leading figures in the field of gerontology on our Boards of Governors and Advisory Councils, which oversaw our work for many years. Since the beginning, we have been blessed with loyal and forthright members who have supported us through good and bad times. Our reputation as leaders in the field was in no small way established by Mike Simson, Secretary from 1947 to 1973 and by Hugh Mellor, Assistant Secretary from 1951 who took over as Secretary from 1973 until 1980. Seminal studies on many subjects including mental illness, residential care, social work, meals on wheels, alarm systems and retirement -to name but a few -were either undertaken by us or were commissioned by us during this time.
Since 1980, when we became the Centre for Policy on Ageing, our influence as an imaginative and innovative 'think tank' has continued to grow. The leadership of key figures during the 1980s -Eric Midwinter, who was Director, and Deputy Directors, Alison Norman and Deirdre Wynne-Harley -has been crucial in the development of current attitudes within gerontological research, information and practice. The year of our name change, 1980, also saw the launching of our journal Ageing and Society which is jointly sponsored by CPA and the British Society of Gerontology. The early editors, Malcolm Johnson and Peter Coleman, are both members of the Centre. In 1984, a CPA Working Party chaired by Kina, Lady Avebury produced the code of practice Home Life, to accompany the Registered Homes Act; this has proved to be the most influential publication in the field of residential care ever published.
During all these years, we have developed fruitful relationships with many organisations in the field of ageing, both at home and abroad. Notable amongst these are the Dementia Services Development Centre, University of Stirling directed by Mary Marshall, a CPA Governor, the Age Concern Institute of Gerontology, directed by one of our past Governors, Anthea Tinker and Age Action Ireland, led by Robin Webster, another CPA member. We value greatly the benefits of these and all our many other collaborative relationships.
In conclusion, there is one outstanding person who we should especially like to thank and acknowledge -Margot Jefferys. For many years -as an Advisory Council member 1973-1977, as a Governor from 1978, Chairman of the Board of Governors from 1980-1988 and member of the Futures Group, she was, until her death in 1999, an extraordinary source of support and wisdom to governors, members, directors and staff. We are greatly indebted to her constancy and vision over the years.
..... from The Social Policy of Old Age, Miriam Bernard and Judith Phillips (eds), CPA Publications, 1998
(updated May 2002).
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