This year’s award was presented to Sally Greengross by Alan Walker, chair of the judging panel, at this year’s annual conference held at the University of West of England. As reader’s will know, the Alan Walker Prize was created in recognition of the massive contribution Alan has made to British and international social gerontology. With his warm support and encouragement this annual competitive award, supported by the nominations from BSG Members, is made annually to an individual or organisation that, in the opinion of the judges, has made a significant and lasting contribution to British social gerontology. This might be through for example, campaigning, teaching, lobbying, service provision, fundraising, journalism and research. In particular, the judging panel look for any significant impact the nominee has made on the policy process and as a result to an improvement to the quality of life of older people. So it is not intended for an academic contribution alone. Sally meets these exacting objectives in abundance.

Sally was Director General of Age Concern England from 1987 to 2000 and was directly responsible for establishing the Age Concern Institute of Gerontology at Kings College, London and Eurolink Age – which has become AGE – Older People’s Platform in Europe. Whilst at Age Concern England, she established many innovative programmes including Age Resource, the Employer's Forum on Age, Ageing Well, Intergenerational Projects, the Exchange on Ageing, Law and Ethics (EAGLE) and the Debate of the Age. She also built up Age Concern Enterprises into a multi-million pound business.

Apart from a very active involvement in the House of Lords where she sits as a cross-bench (or independent) member, continuing to lobby and argue the case for older people, Baroness Greengross is currently co-chair of the Alliance for Health & the Future and Executive chair of the International Longevity Centre - United Kingdom (ILC-UK). In Parliament, she is a member of Sub-Committee F (Social Affairs, Education and Home Affairs) of the House of Lords European Union Select Committee and chairs the all-party group on Corporate Social Responsibility. She is also a member of a number of all-party groups, including those on Charities and the Voluntary Sector, Ageing and Older People, and Regeneration.

She is a vice chair of the Britain in Europe campaign. Since 2000, she has been a board member of HelpAge International and holds honorary positions with a wide range of national and international charities and voluntary bodies. Baroness Greengross acts as an adviser to several companies on ageing issues, including the Merck Institute of Ageing and Health and the Pfizer Healthy Ageing programme.

She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, the Institute of Actuaries and the Royal Society of Health Promotion. She has been awarded honorary doctorates from the Open University, Exeter University, University of Ulster, Kingston University/St George's Medical School, Brunel University and Leeds Metropolitan University. In 1990 she was voted UK Woman of Europe.

Clearly she is a very worthy winner and is well known to all who work in the field of social gerontology, not only in the UK but internationally and particularly across the EU. At the award ceremony, on behalf of the judging panel and BSG members, Alan Walker after listing some of her considerable achievements, spoke warmly of his long association with her, his admiration of her work, her supportive friendship and his delight in being able to make the presentation. In receiving this award Sally thanked BSG for the award and indicated how much an honour it was to receive it and particularly from Alan whom she held in such high esteem.

We encourage all members to consider making a nomination for the 2009 award and details as to how to do so are at http://www.britishgerontology.org/index.asp?PageID=100.