AbstractDr Eric Midwinter MA, became Director of the Centre for Policy on Ageing in September 1980. In the field of ageing he is particularly associated with education and leisure opportunities, income maintenance and the political and cultural dimension of older age. He is General Secretary of the University of the Third Age National Committee, and is author of ‘Age is Opportunity: education and older people’ and ‘Mutual Aid Universities’, as well as ‘The wage of retirement: the case for a new pensions policy’.Social historian, educationist, consumer champion, author and broadcaster, his previous career was principally in the community education field and the public service consumer movement, and he is at present Chairman of the London Regional Passenger