FULL NAME: Mike Dodd
AGE: 78
REPORTER PATCH: Oldham

Our reporter, Mike Dodd, is passionate about people staying connected in their local communities. He is a governor at a primary school, committee member of a social group, member of the Patient Participation Group with the CCG to review their processes and materials, has

been a parish councillor and volunteers with Age UK Oldham – and is part of a group that has a remit to organise expansion into Oldham.

He has worked with the media before, writing articles and identifying news opportunities for a local newspaper, and is a trained community reporter for Oldham Chronicle – skills he will be bringing to the Talking About My Generation campaign.

Mike, who has nine grandchildren and brought up four children, wants to change perceptions of growing older, by showing people how they can help themselves and others to live a more interesting and energetic lifestyle to reduce isolation and build interactions.

Mike says: “Older people are seen by the young as a nuisance, a necessary imposition, in some cases as in newspaper articles, a drag on the costs of health care and old age pension – with too many freebies like bus passes, TV license, blue badges and the like.
“I want to show younger generations that this is not the case – and older generations have a benefit to society as a whole.”

Read more about the Talking About My Generation campaign here.