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After Sixty - October 2011 Business Partners |
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Are you age-old? So are we! |
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By Bob Smart, Co-ordinator, Somerset Tourism Association, Community Interest Company
Here in Somerset, we often talk of our favourite county as being ageless – which actually means it’s got quite a lot of age – or age-old, which does what it says on the tin. Somerset county, and the people who run its tourism industry, are getting on a bit. We’re mostly in our 60s and 70s too. But the county’s been welcoming visitors here for at least 40,000 years, since Neanderthal times, and there’s been a lot going on since then. New research shows that the first people to have been cannibalised in the Cheddar Caves, 14,700 years ago, were actually visitors from the South of France, but we hope we’ve improved our welcome since then.
Age – in a county and in its visitors – matters, and doesn’t matter. It matters because if you’re older you’re more experienced. You know what you want, you’ve earned the right to it, and you know how to get it, here in a community where tourism has been a serious business since Joseph of Arimathea, or at least since King Alfred and the Danes. It doesn’t matter because you’re as young or as old as you feel, and you can do, or not do, whatever you want around here.
We’re here to make sure you get what you want, whether it’s a gentle stroll through a cathedral city or historic market town, a quiet seat outside a village pub or town-centre cafe with the morning paper, a deck chair on the beach, a steam train ride to the seaside, a day’s shopping without any hassle. Or you can step up the pace: plenty of golf courses, bowls, walking, horse riding, caving, climbing, abseiling, surfing, sand yachting, cycling, mountain biking, gliding ...
Somerset’s the sort of county that’s got everything for everyone: coast, country, cities – and we’re all here to help you enjoy it. Welcoming visitors is our main business round here. The pace of life is slower in these parts, so we’ve got plenty of time for you, and you’ve got plenty of time to do anything and everything you want. Have a look at our website www.visitsomerset.co.uk which will give you an idea of what we can offer you. A website’s all very well, but you can’t beat the real thing, so come and see us soon, in Somerset, the jewel of the South West.
Many Thanks
Bob Smart Co-ordinator Somerset Tourism Association Community Interest Company
Wookey Hole Caves, Wookey Hole Wells, Somerset BA5 1BB
Phone: 01749 835416 Fax: 01749 677749
Web: www.wookey.co.uk |
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Top tips for successful downsizing |
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By Sue Janes, Pilgrimage Interiors, Frome
It is estimated that thousands of people in the UK “downsize” every year. The reasons are various – children fleeing the nest, retirement, the consequences of a recessionary market place or the death of a partner.
Many people come into my interiors shop on Catherine Hill having moved into a smaller property in the area. They are looking for either compact items of furniture or a statement piece to design a room around. Very often the concern is how to unite existing precious pieces from a period house with new- in what is usually a modern environment.
My mother lived in a gracious Queen Anne House for 30 years. When my father died in his mid sixties the plan was to realise the value of a substantial property to supplement my mother’s income. She carved off a portion of her grounds and built a small but perfect modern house. A beautiful building which could sit alongside her much loved previous home – but still give her all the utility and comforts of contemporary living.
Top tips:
- Whatever the circumstances, view downsizing as a positive experience.
- Look ahead and where possible create a living environment which can (with some small adjustments say) cater for what the future may bring.
- Edit your belongings with intelligence. Keep treasured possessions and pieces which have the maximum value in both sentimental and financial terms. Use these special pieces to dictate the style and tone of your new rooms. Remember antiques can sit very well in a modern home and careful combinations of old and new can be dramatic and stylish.
- Ditch old wardrobes and chest of drawers for built in utility and to maximise space in a smaller house.
- Indulge yourself with fresh, new soft furnishings such as curtains and sofas and chairs.
- Have a good sized spare room with additional put up beds for friends and family to stay.
- Use paint brands like Little Greene – one of the most environmentally friendly paint and wall paper companies in the UK which works in partnership with English Heritage to pull old and new together.
- Pay attention to your outside space – even a seasoned gardener may appreciate paved areas and tubs and shrubs rather than extensive lawns to mow and flower beds to weed.
- Get good quality, and recommended workmen to help you – and enjoy!
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Welcome to our first After Sixty newsletter – October 2011 |
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Dear Members
We hope you enjoy reading this and subsequent Newsletters and find them useful.
Newsletter content
As we need to keep the Newsletter topical, relevant and enjoyable for the future, we would welcome your suggestions on the Newsletter format. For this first edition and for the next few months, we thought the format could be as follows:-
- Articles on tourism which we hope will be of interest to members. This month we have an article from Bob Smart of Somerset Tourism Association, as this is our home area, on the county’s many tourist attractions. Each subsequent month we will concentrate on another particular county or area throughout the country; we have plenty areas to go at!
- Topical articles aimed at particular issues of interest to members. This month we have an excellent article on downsizing our homes from Susan Janes of Pilgrimage in Frome. Susan is willing to discuss home interior design issues with members.
- For future editions, we would like contribution articles on how members have achieved or plan to achieve their own ‘I’ve always wanted to’ ambitions. These are usually very inspirational stories and this goes to the core of what After Sixty is trying to do.
- Each month, we will include a list of Business Partners who have joined the Directory in the previous month. In addition, each new business will have two further Newsletter listings and the offer of an advertising feature on the Newsletter.
- For most months we hope to have a ‘future events’ article whereby members would be given notice of After Sixty plans. For example, next month there will be an article about the 2012 Super Challenge with a timetable schedule and a launch date, probably in May 2012. For all who are interested in joining me with the challenge and would like to be kept informed of the plans as they unfold, then please contact the office. There would be no obligation or commitment to take part at this stage
Directory
As you may have noticed, we have started the Directory of Business Partners, again mainly from Somerset, where the contact details and a brief description of each business is shown. The incentives, which are offered, may be specific or by negotiation and can only be viewed through ‘members only’ log in site. Please note that some businesses have asked if members could show their membership card at the time of purchase to access the particular incentive.
After Sixty is very grateful to the Business Partners, not only for their financial support with incentives for members but also for their moral support and enthusiasm for the concept of trying to help the over sixties fulfil their ambitions.
News and events
As mentioned on the website, we plan to have a News and Events site on the website whereby members could, for instance, contact other members on various issues, post notices on the notice board, advertise community events or whatever. Also, for all the social network enthusiasts, After Sixty has its own Twitter and Facebook sites for keeping up to date with events. For our part, we will try to keep you informed via this media about our plans and current issues.
Agents
As members are no doubt aware, After Sixty operates from Somerset, where we live, but we have plans to roll out the business to all corners of the UK and Ireland during 2012. I believe for our business model to give a good service to our members and Business Partners, we need people who know their areas and agree with our philosophy to work for After Sixty. We would propose to divide the UK and Ireland into clearly defined areas with an agent in each area liaising with local businesses, members, the local community and the local branch of Alzheimers Society, which is the charity we support. The administrative office and staff would remain in Somerset.
For members who are interested, please contact our office for further details.
I send my best wishes to you all on behalf of After Sixty and please continue to send your many thoughts and ideas for the future; they are very welcome.
Robert Chambers |
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Welcome to our January 2013 After Sixty Newsletter
Now we are into a new year, After Sixty is keen to help you with some new thoughts and ideas for 2013.
• For those members thinking of travelling to the great outdoors with the many activities, sheer beauty and welcoming hospitality, we have many hotels, B & B, guest houses and self catering accommodation in our Directory. As usual, many of these business partners offer discounts and various incentives. With this exciting broad range of accommodation, there is something here for everyone.
• In addition to the above, and at the request of many members, we shall begin to focus on some of the areas where we haven’t, as yet, many business partners. These include County Cork, in conjunction with the 2013 Gathering, the coastal walks of Wales and the Scottish border counties. We have made a start in these areas, so visit our Directory for some fascinating places to stay. Can you find the dancing goose?
• As well as details on the Directory, we are producing useful printed guides with the same details. Please email if you would like to order a guide or to give to friends and relatives.
• We are supporting many national events during 2013 including the Jorvik Viking Festival in York (please see Susan's article) during February, Cheltenham Festival in March, National Gardening Week in April and Hay Literary Festival in May. As well as the above, we want to promote local community and charity events on our News and Events page – particularly unusual events of interest to our members. So please let us have details to spread the word!
• We are negotiating with national companies to arrange special discounts and deals for members, especially when travelling.
• The Notice Board is available for all your comments and messages. Please note that this is a members-only facility and personal confidentiality shall be kept at all times by After Sixty, with no information given to outside sources. I hope all members will freely use the Notice Board for advice, messages, debates or whatever.
• If you have any gardening tips or questions, please share them with us, or contact Jon at the Walled Garden www.thewalledgardenatmells.co.uk
• If you need travel or holiday advice, contact Margaret at Cathedral City Travel www.ambassadortravel.co.uk
JORVIK VIKING FESTIVAL YORK 16-24 FEBRUARY 2013
A visit to York is a great experience at any time of the year but I would say it is even more spectacular if you time your visit to coincide with the Jorvik Viking Festival, which is the biggest Viking Festival in Europe. This year the celebrations, known as Jolablot, are taking place from 16-24 February. The dark days of winter will be brightened up by an array of colourful and lively events which have something for everyone, whatever their age, from Time Team’s Mick Aston’s Hidden York, a ‘hands on’ archaeological experience to the Coppergate Viking encampment complete with longship to Violent Vikings in combat to the more sedate Viking craft activities. There are films, lectures, book signings by authors of historical literature, swashbuckling adventures with the Real Pirates of the Caribbean and mead tasting just to make a random selection of what’s on offer. This year’s Festival booklet is available to view online and gives details of what is happening where, informing you of any costs so that you can plan your week to ensure that you don’t miss out on anything.
I am a veteran attendee of the Festival and try to be in York every February so that I can be there for my favourite activities and events. If you have grand-children there are a number of things going on which will appeal directly to them and they will be learning new skills if they participate without even realising that amongst all the fun there is a genuine educational benefit. There will be no time to be bored. Don’t forget to visit the Jorvik Centre on Coppergate, travelling back in time has never been so spooky.
You will come away with a new understanding of our Viking ancestors and you will have a huge amount of fun in the process. You will be enthralled, excited, exhilarated, filled with wonder and amazed by what you have learned from these events. The Festival is a cosmopolitan affair with visitors from all over Europe within the historic setting of my favourite English city, York.
Susan Moore
If interested in visiting the Jorvik Festival contact : http://jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/festivals/
THE WILD BEAUTY OF EXMOOR
If you are planning a visit to Exmoor, there’s plenty of information on the website which may help you make the most of your visit, including our new visitor map http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/visiting/visitor-map where you can click on ‘things to do’, ‘walks’ and look photos and it will even show you how to get around! Exmoor National Park covers an area of 267 sq miles and this special landscape has been shaped by nature and the people who have lived here over thousands of years.
Last year, Exmoor National Park became the first place in Europe and only the second in the world to be awarded the prestigious designation of International Dark Sky Reserve. The award celebrates both Exmoor’s dark starry skies and that we work hard to make people aware of how important this resource is and help them to enjoy it. The good news is that on a clear, dark night you won’t need any special equipment to enjoy our starry skies, just the naked eye and a pair of binoculars if you have them. If you need some help on planning your day, call into one of the National Park Centres in Dulverton (open all year 01398 323841) Dunster and Lynmouth where knowledgeable staff will be delighted to help.
Other information and places of interest when planning your trip to Exmoor:-
• The Moor Rover buses have 8-16 seats and can pick you up and drop you off at any pre-arranged point in the National Park. The mini buses can carry bikes, wheelchairs and dogs, but must be booked at least the day before – for more information and booking call ATWEST on 01643 709701 . For full details visit www.atwest.org.uk
• If you enjoy art and craft work, why not visit the Art & Craft Centre at Old Methodist Church, Lynton and find some unusual items for gifts. Full details visit www.lynvalleycraftcentre.com
• If you enjoy a visit to the zoo, try Exmoor Zoo at Barnstaple. For details visit www.exmoorzoo.co.uk
• If you like to see Exmoor painted in oils on canvas, go to see Maurice Bishop’s studio at Lynmouth. For details visit www.mauricebishop.co.uk
• If you enjoy trains, try the Cliff Railway at Lynton and Lynmouth which is a unique Victorian water powered lift www.cliffrailwaylynton.co.uk or the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway www.lynton-rail.co.uk
• For a longer steam train journey, try the West Somerset Railway which runs for 20 miles from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead. Look at the website for details of special events www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk
• There are numerous outdoor activities to choose from including walking, fishing, mountain biking and horse riding. Would you like to try your hand at adventure sports? Contact Dan French on www.exmooradventures.co.uk
• If you are looking for hotels, guest houses, lovely restaurants with locally produced food or pubs, look through our Directory for Exmoor businesses who not only offer good service but offer incentives to our After Sixty members.
I send my best wishes to all members, business partners and friends on behalf of After Sixty and please continue to send your many thoughts and ideas for the future; they are very welcome. Please keep a regular watch on the website for our latest developments, news and Spring offers.
Our next Newsletter and summer offers will be published on 30th April.
We wish you a very happy and exciting 2013.
Robert Chambers
