We are becoming dangerously used to speaking and thinking of an ageing population as a problem, a burden on public purse and private resources alike... As things stand, more than half the over 60 population are involved in some sort of formal and structured voluntary work; over half of the population believes that this is part of what they should aspire to in later life, and a third are willing to take part in informal volunteering. These facts are of basic importance. It means, quite simply, that a majority of the older population are ready to do what they can, unpaid, to support the fabric of society; they are doing exactly what we expect responsible citizens to do.