THE chief executive of Age UK Oxfordshire has announced he will step down from his post to pursue freelance work "be there" for his family.

Paul Cann, who is in his sixties and has worked within Age UK for 16 years, will officially leave the role in October this year.

He will also be stepping down from the role of chief executive of Action for Carers Oxfordshire.

Mr Cann said: “After nearly a quarter-century in the voluntary sector, I am spreading my wings.

"Coming up to the autumn I will have been working full-time for about 40 years and I want to have a bit more flexibility and be more selective about the things I do."

"It's a very positive move and I intend to still be involved in Oxfordshire and continue to give to older people."

Mr Cann was at the helm when Age UK Oxfordshire became one of the founding partners of the Campaign to End Loneliness, a national drive to tackle the issue of isolation in older age. Last year the charity worked with the Oxford Mail on the paper's Lonely this Christmas campaign, which raised money for hundreds of phone calls to older people living by themselves in the county.

Mr Cann added: "It has been a wonderful privilege to work in the service of carers and older people locally, nationally and internationally.

"I am grateful to so many caring colleagues who have gone the extra mile so often so that older people and carers may live their lives as they wish to, in the sunlight rather than the shadows to which they are too often confined."