Press releases

The Deputy Lord Provost of the City of Glasgow, Councillor Christine Devine, has launched a new community partnership this week between transport services organisation Arriva plc and Age Concern Scotland.

Age Concern Scotland is a charity working throughout Scotland to help make the lives of older people more secure, comfortable, dignified and enjoyable.

As part of its partnership, Arriva is supporting Age Concern Scotland's Information Service for Older People, which provides information on a range of issues from health and community care to benefit entitlement and housing.

Arriva has made an initial donation of £3,000 to support the service, which will go towards the purchase of IT equipment, and will help to provide a more comprehensive, local, national and Internet based service. It will also help to develop the confidence and skills of older volunteers in information and IT.

Ian Craig of Arriva said:

We are aware of Age Concern Scotland 's valuable work and are delighted to be launching this new community partnership. Especially as it complements the aims of UK online – a government campaign that we are also actively involved in which aims to encourage more people to use the internet.

We are very much a part of local communities across the UK and we seek to build sustainable relationships that are relevant to the group's activities. The aim is to deliver best value for the communities we serve, whilst reinforcing their relationship with Arriva.

Kay Hutcheson, area manager of Age Concern Scotland, said:

Giving information to older people and their carers is a key service which Age Concern Scotland provides.

We are delighted that a high profile company like Arriva has chosen to work in partnership with us and give this service a welcome financial boost. The donation will allow us to buy both a dedicated computer and a laptop. I am sure that the laptop will prove particularly valuable as it will allow us to mobilise our information service across the communities we serve.

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Notes to editors

The following digital photograph is available via e-mail from Arriva's corporate communications department.

Pictured from the left: Kay Hutcheson, Councillor Christine Divine and Ian Craig.