Cllr Margaret Sidebottom

Championing Older People

Bridging the gap between the generations – that’s the mission of Cllr Margaret Sidebottom, Tameside’s Older People’s Champion.

Margaret is planning a conference to get groups of older people and young people to work together and learn from each other to build stronger communities. She has recently become Chair of the North West Older People’s Champion network, after five years as Vice Chair. The group gets the message across to the government about the older people’s agenda – such as the importance of grandparents in a carer role.

In her championing role Margaret aims to:

• improve older people’s services
• work in partnership to stand up for the interests of older people
• ensure older people have access to information about local services and plans for older people
• root out age discrimination in access to treatment and services, helping to implement the National Service Framework (NSF) and related services for older people

A passionate campaigner, Margaret is a strong believer in listening to and involving older people in service design and improvement and regularly attends Really Important Questions forums. Her views help shape the annual RIQ – Really Important Questions - conference – in October.

Margaret understands the importance of providing older people with information and was involved with organising the council’s first Retirement event last year – Tameside Independence Day.

As well as being an Older People’s Champion, Margaret makes an invaluable contribution to many other campaigning issues. She chairs the Community Cohesion and Cultural Partnership and is involved with organisations ranging from the Women’s Refuge to the Hyde Pupil Referral Unit. She said: “People ask me to get involved and support them. I am keen to hear from people who have any issues they want me to raise on their behalf. “

Margaret brings her expertise to numerous groups within the Council and many partner organisations.

If you have an issue you’d like to raise you can contact Margaret on 0161 308 2882 or Send a Message to Margaret Sidebottom

Margaret’s a member of many groups and networks

• Chair of the Older Peoples Champions Network North West
• Member of the Older Peoples' Partnership
• Chair Equality Champions group
• Chair of the Community Cohesion Partnership
• Chair of the Domestic Violence Forum
• Chair of the Tackling Sexual Violence Group
• Vice Chair of the Freedom Group
• Chair of SACRE - Standing Advisory Council On Religious Education
• Chair of TRHMAP - THIP Tameside Hate Incident Panel
• Member of the PRU - Pupil Referral Units
• Member of TREC - Tameside Racial Equality Council
• Member of the Multi Agency Forum
• Chair of the Friends of Cedar Park, Ashton
• Member of the Volunteer Borough Management Committee
• Governor Tameside College
• Assembly member of the New Manchester University
• Member of the Greater Manchester Pension Fund
• Member Proud Tameside Network ( formerly Lesbian, gay , bisexual, transsexual group)
• Trustee on the Women's Project Management Committee

September 2009