Medical advances and a declining birth rate mean the population is ageing dramatically, writes Zahra Akkerhuys.

In line with national figures, almost 20 per cent of Oxfordshire's 598,000 population are of pensionable age and the figure is increasing.

As a result, the way society treats its elderly has become an issue hot on the political agenda.

Last week, Prime Minister Tony Blair's father-in-law Tony Booth called for pensioners to be given a fairer deal.

Mr Booth, writing in the bulletin of the National Pensioners' Convention, called for pensions to rise in line with average wage increases rather than inflation.

People are living longer than ever. Research shows that when the National Health Service was founded, life expectancy in post-war Britain was 50 years, but recent figures released by Age Concern show that life expectancy has risen to 80.

Mary Daniel, director of Age Concern Oxford, says older people are playing an increasing social role and that their dedication and commitment to hard work, even after retirement, are keeping many voluntary organisations afloat.

She said: "The good news is that there are enormous opportunities for older people in the county. They provide a huge resource for the community both on a formal and informal basis.

"They have very much got a role to play and this is important because everyone has a basic need to feel wanted.

"Say, for example, they take on the role of secretary for a big retirement club, they end up putting in a huge amount of time, effort and often money, to keep the club running.

"Also, older people have a tremendous interest in learning and the growth of the University of the Third Age, which is geared to help older people expand their learning, is proving that.

"We are also finding that there is a great interest in anything to do with computers and many older people are signing up for all sorts of different courses."

Ms Daniel added that businesses ignored the economic strength of old people at their peril and more and more firms were catering specifically for older people in a bid to cash in on the "grey pound".

During the last century a culture developed which placed emphasis on young people and their needs but now older people are fighting back and refusing to be side-lined.

Ms Daniel says: "The basic state pension is pitifully small but an increasing number of older people have a second pension which enables them to have greater economic freedom."

In fact, the Family Expenditure Survey recently revealed that people over the age of 45 controlled 80 per cent of the country's financial wealth.

It found that their housing costs were lower than average because many owned their own homes.

As many people start to approach pensionable age they find they are being forced out of the labour market.

Many employers prefer youngsters because they command lower wages than older, more experienced, workers.

A decline in work for older people inevitably means that leisure plays a key role in the lifestyle of many retired people.

And for many older people, reaching retirement age is a new dawn rather than a twilight. It's an opportunity to try new hobbies, visit new places, acquire new skills, and enjoy life outside the workplace.

Ill-health and increased fragility inevitably places limitations on some activities but the determination and strength of character which provide the trademark for the generation that won the Second World War, often overcomes these constraints.

Cartoonist Rosalie Cox, 71, of Milton-under-Wychwood, has been drawing all her life and in recent years has used her skills to raise thousands of pounds for charity.

For decades Rosalie has been able to convert a meaningless scribble into a cartoon character within just 30 seconds.

She said her mother told her she first started drawing at the age of ten months and she has barely put her pen down since then.

Rosalie, whose stage name is SKribble, has hosted two TV series and now sketches to raise cash for countless charities including the NSPCC and Save the Children.

But she has recently battled against a rare form of leukaemia. Her illness drained away much of her strength but she has refused to let it stop her drawing.

She says: "Even when I was really ill I was so determined that I would not let my illness beat me. My advice is to keep motivated and keep going. I never allowed myself to give in to it."

**The combined number of men over the age of 65 and women over the age of 60 in Oxfordshire is 99,700.

The breakdown is: Cherwell 19,800; City of Oxford 20,700; South Oxfordshire 21,800; Vale of White Horse 20,100; West Oxfordshire 17,300.