Cornwall is staging a special event at Truro Cathedral on Saturday, September 22 to address how the county responds to its ageing population and looking at implications for families, local communities and the role of public bodies. It will highlight the national crisis in the funding of services for older people and adults with disabilities and to spearhead the launch of a campaign calling for increased Government resources for adult social care.

More than 700 people are expected to attend the "Engaging Communities" event, which has been organised by a number of organisations across Cornwall, including Age Concern, Cornwall County Council, District Councils, the NHS, the faith community, Cornwall Rural Community Council and Cornwall Centre for Volunteers.

The aim of the day is to raise awareness of the impact of an ageing population in Cornwall and to launch a debate into the level of care which should be provided by individuals and communities, and what should be provided by the state. It will also look at how adult social care is currently funded and what levels of funding will be needed to meet future care needs.

Guest speakers will include Bishop Bill Ind, the Bishop of Truro, Lord Eddie George, former Governor of the Bank of England, and Dr Carol Tozer, Cornwall's Director of Adult Social Care. Immelda Richardson, Regional Director for the Commission for Social Care Inspection, Falmouth and Camborne MP Julia Goldsworthy and Blair Thompson will join the speakers for a Question Time session at the end of the day.

Cornwall has a growing number of elderly people and a rising number of people with complex disabilities. Research shows that there will be an additional 600 people aged 85 and older living in Cornwall every single year between now and 2028. To date there has been little public debate about how well the needs of these people are being met and how their increasing needs will be met in the future.

Bishop Bill will officially open the Engaging Communities event at 11 am by leading the audience in a performance of Trelawney. This will be followed by a presentation by Dr Carol Tozer titled "People Deserve Better".

"I am delighted that this event is taking place and so many people have said that they are coming" said Bishop Bill. "The issue which the day addresses is among the most important in our society. We need to do all that we can to make sure that this issue commands the attention not simply of politicians but of all of us regardless of our age or our situation."

The audience will then be shown a series of short video clips featuring interviews with older people, people with learning or physical disabilities, people with mental health problems and their carers.

Lord Eddie George will then speak about funding care for people in their old age. This will be followed by a Question Time session in which members of the Panel will answer questions from members of the audience. The questions will be selected by Martin Baillie.

The day will end with the official launch of the Engaging Communities campaign in which members of the audience will be invited to sign both a Campaign Pledge and a Personal Pledge.

The Campaign Pledge confirms the right of Cornwall's older people, adults with disabilities and their carers to lead fulfilling, independent lives. It warns that the failure to march the rising levels of need with increased resources is threatening the quality of people's lives, their independence and their safety.

It highlights the need for a new national financial settlement and calls on the county's MP's and elected members to press the Government for a national and local review of the funding available for adult social care.

The event is also aimed at encouraging people to recognise they have a shared responsibility at a local level to ensure that everyone plays their part in responding to the needs of vulnerable adults who live in their community.

The Personal Pledge calls on local communities and the people who live in them to recognise their responsibility to provide whatever support they can as good neighbours. It invites people to identify both one practical thing they will do as a result of the Engaging Communities event and one thing they thing their local community could do.

The organisers hope as many people as possible will sign the two Pledges and that the campaign will be taken up by every single village and town across both Cornwall and the rest of the UK.

The Cathedral Close car-park will be set aside for disabled parking although as there is only a small space this will be very limited. The barrier will be closed once the car-park is deemed full by the attendants and will not be re-opened until the close of the event.