A mother and daughter campaigning for better representation for the elderly have joined celebrity Esther Rantzen in handing a 137,000-signature petition into Downing Street.

Chris Kitchen, 45, and Cara Kitchen, 16, of South Norwood were at Number 10 on November 28 calling for the government to appoint a cabinet position to be created dedicated to older people.

Joined by second daughter Asha, 11, Mrs Kitchen, who works for care home providers Anchor, had collected 650 signatures for the petition from parishioners at St Chad’s Catholic Church, Whitworth Road.

She said: “The figures are staggering. People over 60 make up a quarter of the population and yet have no official representative.

“We want a Minister for Older People with access to Cabinet so that the voices of the elderly are taken into consideration when ministers make decisions on such issues as the library closures, care funding and pensions.”

In addition to the 137,000 people who have signed Anchor’s Grey Pride petition, the campaign has been supported by 94 MPs, who have either signed the petition or an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons calling for a Minister for Older People.