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The Freebird Club Comes of Age<br />
NEWS 16<br />
Nga-Hong Lau (CTO),Moira Allan,Paris (Founder Pass it on Network) & Peter Mangan (CEO)<br />
The Freebird Club came of age on<br />
April 5 th , 2017 with its official<br />
launch in Dublin. Theevent, which<br />
was hosted by Founder Peter<br />
Mangan and CTO Nga-Hong Lau,<br />
also celebrated the fact that the<br />
organisation had already reached<br />
the milestone mark of 1,000<br />
members across 34 countries.<br />
Numerous guests, including<br />
Freebird Club members,<br />
representatives of ageing<br />
organizations, public institutions<br />
and journalists were welcomed<br />
by the start-up team in the<br />
charming setting of Airfield<br />
Estate.<br />
Reflecting the international<br />
nature of The Freebird Club, it<br />
was appropriate that the launch<br />
was attended by representatives<br />
from abroad. These included<br />
Moira Allan from France, the<br />
international coordinator of the<br />
Pass it On Network who also<br />
coordinates the 2Young2Retire<br />
network in Europe with its<br />
French counterpart ? Le Cercle<br />
des Seniors Actifs. Facilitated by<br />
video link, Crispin Baynes, Aging<br />
2.0 New York,<br />
Merry Alexander, TFC area<br />
champion in NYC and Doug<br />
Flockhart, CEO Clubs<br />
Queensland in Brisbane also sent<br />
their best wishes.<br />
Irish Minister for Jobs, Enterprise<br />
and Innovation, Mary Mitchell<br />
O?Connor also sent her<br />
congratulations, stating: ?I?m not<br />
the only one that thinks yours is a<br />
very good idea?, pointing out the<br />
numerous awards won by the<br />
start-up already, including the<br />
European Commission?s Social<br />
Innovation Competition.<br />
Speaking at the launch Founder<br />
Peter Mangan said: ?We are a<br />
real ?heart and soul?venture<br />
which aims to connect older<br />
adults in very real and valuable<br />
ways. We seek to create an<br />
international community which<br />
provides opportunities to enjoy<br />
the world around us regardless of<br />
age?. He went on to say that as<br />
awareness of our rapidly ageing<br />
society grows, it is hard not to be<br />
struck by the sheer numbers<br />
involved. "Worldwide the<br />
number of adults over 60 is<br />
projected to soar; from 840<br />
million in 2013 to around 2<br />
billion by 2050,? he said. ?This<br />
presents obvious societal<br />
challenges, but also opportunities<br />
for organisations such as The<br />
Freebird Club to address this<br />
growing market.?
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