After a long and varied career across Europe, Pauline, 77, is now a passionate campaigner for older people and the LGBT+ community in Greater Manchester.
Her life has taken her from corporate boardrooms to community halls, and she now devotes her time to fighting ageism and supporting transgender rights.
Pauline spent over 30 years living and working in Belgium, Holland, and Germany, with her career taking her as far afield as the USA and India. But after returning to the UK in her 60s, she encountered a challenge that many older people face: age discrimination.
“In one job interview, I was asked if I would still be able to drive at 70,” she recalls. “I was 60 at the time. It was obvious I was ‘too old’ for the job in the interviewer’s mind.”
Finding permanent work difficult, Pauline continued to take on consultancy projects across Europe until she was 70. Since retiring, she has focused on volunteer work and rediscovered a creative side that had long been set aside.
“It’s very complex in Western countries, with ageism almost built into the fabric of society,” Pauline explains. “Older people are often seen as an economic burden, but many of us contribute through caring roles, volunteering, and supporting our communities.”
Now based in Greater Manchester, Pauline is an active member of several networks: Bury Older People’s Network, Greater Manchester Older People’s Network, Pride in Ageing at the LGBT Foundation, and the Bury LGBTQI+ Forum. She also serves as a community reporter for Talking About My Generation, sharing stories from and about older people.
Her weeks are filled with meetings, creative projects, and time with family and friends. At 77, she’s enjoying life more than ever, learning to paint and sew, and writing poetry that explores themes of equality, ageing, and social justice.
“I get involved if I think I can make a difference,” she says. “Helping others is a core part of who I am. I want to do it with joy and love, but also with a bit of steel—so I’m not a doormat!”
Pauline began writing poetry as a schoolgirl but returned to it seriously in later life. Her poems reflect her belief that ageing is not something to be feared or hidden but embraced as a privilege.
Her recent poem, Being a Champion against Ageism, compares the beauty and longevity of ancient monuments to the value of growing old, calling for respect and dialogue between generations.
“Ageing is a gift, not something to be despised,” Pauline says. “If you’re young and reading this, one day, if you’re lucky, you’ll be old like me.”
Through her activism and art, Pauline hopes to inspire others to see older people not as “past it”, but as vital contributors to society. Her message is simple but powerful:
“Talk and listen. That’s how we break down ageism.”
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