A consultation document looking at the views of older people in the Ards and North Down area was launched on Thursday 2^ndJune at The Link Family and Community Centre.

The consultation was commissioned by The Link Family and Community Centre and funded by the International Fund for Ireland Community Bridges programme. It was carried out with 68 older people in Ards and North Down, between September 2010 and February 2011, by independent researchers, Macaulay Associates Network.

The purpose of the consultation was to explore the role of older people in the peace process and their role as the archive of a history of the Troubles for young people.

The Link’s Director Diane Holt welcomed the report. “There seemed to be little research in the public domain with older people and few older people involved in wider community relations initiatives. We also felt that older people are the ones who have lived through the various stages of the Troubles and that they are the holders of the stories from this time. Many of the young people today have no knowledge of what went on during the Troubles. There is so much learning potential in this local history and knowledge and we wanted to see if there was energy and enthusiasm for further  participation.”

Consultant Tony Macaulay presented the findings to a large group of gathered older people and interested oragnisational representatives at the launch and explained that it had been sometimes difficult to get older people to feel comfortable about speaking about the recent past.  There was also no unified agreement as to the way forward. 'The consultation found uncertainty over whether to deal with the past, how to deal with the past, whether older people and young people can work together and uncertainty over how they might do so in practical terms.” He said.

“However, the consultation also found that there is interest and potential to develop an intergenerational programme that connects small groups of older people telling their stories about the 1970s, with young people, recording or presenting these stories in a creative way. Any potential programme needs to involve both older people and young people in planning and development.'

A copy of the executive summary can be downloaded from this website or obtained by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phoning The Link on 02891 821124.