Due to increases in life expectancy and diminishing fertility rates, the age distribution of the population in the UK and other Western countries is coming gradually to contain relatively more older persons. Projections produced by the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that in a space of 50 years, there are likely to be an additional 8.6 million people aged 65 and over living in the UK, with the share of older people similarly increasing by 8.5 percentage points from 18 per cent in 2016 to 26.5 per cent in 2066 (ONS 2017). Moreover, the proportion of very old persons living in the UK (those aged 85 and over) will treble from 1.6 million people in 2016 to 5.1 million in 2066.

While discussions typically highlight the economic and governmental challenges an ageing population impede on society (see, for example, Harper 2014; Bloom et al 2015), the higher proportion of older adults also has the potential to bring positive impulses to families and local communities (Healy 2004). By providing childcare, financial, practical and emotional support, older generations often play a central role within their families, whereas (early) retirement and the transition to an empty nest offer older adults the time to contribute to their community, for instance through volunteering. Thus, given the growing pool of older potential volunteers, it will become ever more relevant for voluntary sector agencies to get a clearer understanding of what the current attitudes and motivations are for older people in terms of volunteering.

So far, international research on volunteering by older adults has mostly focused on the determinants affecting the likelihood of an older individual to volunteer, paying special attention to changes in the employment and family spheres (for an overview, see Morrow-Howell 2010). As will be shown in this chapter, distinguishing volunteers from non-volunteers is a far too simplified approach to the study of volunteering as it ignores variations in the number of times and hours people volunteer and the diverse range of motivations they have, as well as how these various aspects relate to each other. Likewise, when describing these volunteering activities and motivations, differences and similarities between the various age groups will be highlighted, challenging the conception that volunteers aged 50 and over form a homogenous group.