This booklet for the Association for the Welfare of Elderly People / Old People seems to have been produced in 1960, judging by the newspaper clipping stapled on the inside cover. Given the annotations in this copy, it may have been the proof version before the full print run. H.M. on the cover presumably stands for ‘Housing Manager’, referring to Miss V. Osborne, who was also honorary secretary of the Association. This seems to have been a voluntary organisation which was part of the old Borough of Bridgwater.
The earliest mentions of the organisation we’ve found come in January 1956, when the group were looking to lease Ivy House as an old person’s home, although they almost certainly existed prior to this (Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser 21 January 1956). The latest mention is 1972, and the Association was presumably dissolved on the creation of Sedgemoor District Council in 1974.
Inserted within this booklet
Note the change in name from ‘old people’ to ‘elderly people’. This name seems to have been in use by 1962 and was used interchangeably with ‘old people’ for some years.
If you might have any more information on the Association for the Welfare of Elderly People in Bridgwater, we would be keen to hear from you.