A NETHERTON grandmother angered by the "unfair" state pension age increase joined hundreds of campaigners on a march to Westminster.

Helena Williams was determined to make her voice heard in London on Tuesday as she is worried that many women born in the 1950s will still not be aware of the government changes, which means some will have to work an extra six years before they can receive their state pension.

When the 63-year-old wound down her family's cafe business with hopes of enjoying retirement, she was shocked to discover she was unable to draw her pension until March 2018.

"I had no idea it was going to take another five years," she said.

"My husband has retired too and we are living off his pension. If I didn't have him, I wouldn't have anything - like a lot of women.

"We are managing but I'm sticking up for the women that aren't."

Mrs Williams joined campaigners, including those from the Stourbridge, Dudley and Wyre Forest branch of Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) for the Combined Women’s Action Group march from Waterloo tube station to the Houses of Parliament.

Their aim was to encourage the government to make fairer transitional arrangements for those affected by the changes to the pension age through the Pensions Acts of 1995 and 2011.

Those taking part in the march were joined by MPs Mhairi Black, Barbara Keeley, Tracy Brabin and Diana Johnson and many campaigners were also hoping to meet their own constituency MPs at Westminster to highlight the plight of the thousands of women born on or after April 1951, who will face financial hardship as a result of the changes.

Kate Creed of the Dudley and Wyre Forest WASPI Voice group, said: "We had a marvellous day. There were a few hundred that marched across the bridge to Westminster and there was an excellent turnout of MPs."

To find out more about the WASPI campaign go to www.waspi.co.uk or check out WASPI Voice Wyre Forest, Midlands & Worcestershire on Facebook.