The £26-a-year standalone membership scheme, which targeted baby boomers and the protest generation, intended to provide its members with information, the chance to have their voices heard and a lively social network. Members also received an exclusive magazine as well as range of money-off deals.
The Charity Commission accused Age Concern England of falling short of expected standards and said that its 34-strong board was too big. It also questioned whether there was enough evidence to justify the setting up of Heyday and whether its activities were of an obviously charitable nature.
Launched in May 2006, backed by an £8m campaign through CHI, Heyday received £22m from Age Concern and Age Concern Enterprises, the charity's business arm, between 2004 and 2008 and accrued membership income of £700,000. The charity put in £5m of reserves.
However, by February 2007 it was growing far more slowly than expected, revising down its target of 500,000 members by 2007, to 50,000 in April. By March 2007, only 44,000 had joined.
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