Retirement Today September/October by amra media solutions

The magazine for pre and post retirement www.retirement-today.co.uk

September/October £2.90

R E T I R EME N T

today PLANNING FOR RETIREMENT Coming to terms with your ageing self

Competitions see p23

Plus: Money – ways of making extra

• Top Tips – writing your autobiography

• Eating in – the new eating out

• Don’t count your chickens– origin and meaning

Come and make the most out of life!

The GLASGOW 50+ Show 2011 Britain’s biggest show for the active over 50s! 10am-5pm, Fri-Sat 11-12 November 2011 Glasgow SECC, Hall 3 • Including Places! travel show • Including The Solar Show • Cookery demonstrations • Fashion Shows • T’ai Chi & Yoga • Have-a-go dancing • Seminars & information • Financial tips & advice • Park & holiday homes • Holidays & travel • Gardening • Health & fitness zones • Craft zone • Health checks • Climbing wall • Prize quiz • FREE Show guide magazine and visitor bag

(worth £10 each) or Call the free ticket hotline

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www.50plusShow.com RETIREMENT

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CONTENTS

WELCOME TO RETIREMENT TODAY MAGAZINE

4 Planning for Retirement – coming to terms with your ageing self

It can be very difficult for some people to accept the idea of retirement because for them it is intimately tied up with unflattering images of old age. However, what really counts is how you feel about yourself, and whether you can have a life that you enjoy.

9 10 Top Tips on Writing your Autobiography

As it takes a great deal of energy to complete such a large task as writing your autobiology, Jackie Sherman offers some top tips to help you achieve your goal.

10 Making Money

We are working harder and living longer than previous generations so there is more reason than ever to save money. Read about some of the ways you can look after the pennies and ways in which you can make extra money.

14 Eating In, is the new Eating Out

Home cooking has never been easier with Scottish TV cook Sue Lawrence’s new book ‘Eating In’. Here are a couple of recipes for you to try at home.

17 What’s on

Read about events taking place over the next couple of month’s.

19 Update

93 year-old graduates from Queen Mary; Just under half (48.5%) of all households in fuel poverty; Spiralling living costs force retirees to consider a new start; Research leads to new treatment in pain relief.

21 Rehoming a pet when an owner dies

When an owner dies or becomes unable to look after a pet, the animal may have to be rehomed and this can prove difficult for both the pet and the new owner. Read about animals change of behaviour following the death of a companion and also how pets can be cared for after your passing.

14 • Published by: Amra Media Solutions Ltd The Old Lavender Mill 46a Brook Street Aston Clinton Buckinghamshire HP22 5ES • Tel: 01296 632700 • Fax: 01296 632720 • Email: info@amramedia.co.uk • www.retirement-today.co.uk • Designed by: Tom Evans Design All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher. Although every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the information and the advertisements contained within the magazine, the publishers cannot accept any liability. Retirement Today would be pleased to receive your articles and photographs for possible publication. Although all reasonable care will be taken the magazine can assume no responsibility and contributors are advised to retain a copy.

22 One for Sorrow

Learn the origin and meaning of some well-known sayings, revealing how they originated, what they mean and how they came to form such an important part of the language we use today.

23 Competitions

Your chance to win theatre tickets, a DVD boxed set, and Dairy cookbook/diary.

27 Making Gifts in Your Will

WIN

Learn about the main types of gifts you can leave in your will. The distinction between the different kinds of gifts you can leave in your will is important both for tax reasons and because of the order in which they can be redirected to meet expenses and settle debts that you leave at the time of your death.

29 Charity News

Read what is happening within the world of charity.

30 Grey Hairs 27

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Planning for Retirement

t can be very difficult for some people to accept the idea of retirement because for them it is intimately tied up with unflattering images of old age. Many people find it difficult to accept the signs of ageing in themselves – hence the thriving industries in plastic surgery and anti-ageing cosmetics. Our society is still very youth-oriented, and it may be hard to come to terms with increasing amounts of grey hair, lined skin and other signs of an ageing body. Accepting retirement seems to say to you and others that you are really getting old, and what you see in the mirror only confirms this view. Of course it is not pleasant to have to face these changes. It is perhaps particularly hard for those whose appearance has always been of great importance to them.This may or may not have been in Accepting retirement a work context. seems to say to you and Nevertheless, if have always others that you are really you been admired getting old, and what you for your looks, see in the mirror only it will hit confirms this view. hard when you begin to realise that the admiration that you have always received is beginning to fade away. While cosmetic surgery and expensive face-creams can make some improvement, the reality of ageing will not go away. Indeed, some people believe that trying hard to appear young, when it is clear to all that you are not, just seems rather pathetic. Cosmetic surgery can also result in some rather grotesque alterations to a person’s features, when arguably a gently ageing face would be much more pleasing. Perhaps a more fruitful avenue to explore would be to try and consider what aspects of yourself are really most important to the people that you truly care about. If you don’t know, maybe you could ask. You might be pleasantly surprised. I should be surprised if your appearance came very high up on the list. This doesn’t mean that you have to give up and slouch around in grubby clothes with unwashed hair. Caring for your appearance will make you feel better about yourself, but this does not mean that you need to try and be Peter Pan! Sadly for women, ageing in men seems to be better accepted than it is in women, even in these days of supposed emancipation. RETIREMENT

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Planning for Retirement

Coming to Terms With Your Ageing Self

Men are said to become distinguished as they age, while women, it seems, are destined to become fat and unattractive. Have a look around you. Is this really true? Do all elderly men look like elder statesmen? Do all elderly women look a mess? This is clearly not true. Some men and women age well, others less so. If you are unhappy with how you look as you get older, see if you can pick out someone of your own sex who represents for you an attractive older person. Consider what they do with their appearance that you might copy for yourself. Dress in what you really like, and what makes you feel good. It does not matter what other people think. Forget the stereotyped comments about ‘mutton dressed as lamb’ or similar put-downs. If you like the way you look, that is all that matters. Be your own fashion guru. Experiment with colour and style, and choose something that you really like. You don’t need to worry about what the boss, or indeed anyone else, thinks any longer. What really counts is how you feel about yourself, and whether you can have a life that you enjoy. If you are happy and fulfilled, and your body works reasonably well, then a few grey hairs and wrinkles don’t seem very important. If they bother you a lot, dye your hair, and save up for a facelift, and then get on with what you really want to do.Those who really care about you won’t care either way. In fact they may worry more about the risks of cosmetic surgery. There certainly are some. You may still want to grieve for the loss of your youth, but there are compensations in getting older. While your interest in sex may remain, it is likely that the desperate drive that it provided Most people find that in your younger they care less about years will have what others think as they mellowed, get older, and this can making that also be hugely liberating. side of life more relaxed. For many people, the removal of the need to compete in the arena of sexuality, or appearance is a relief. Most people find that they care less about what others think as they get older, and this can also be hugely liberating. You may feel more able to say and do what you like, without worrying about whether anyone else will disapprove. Your experience of life and people will mean that little is entirely new to you.You will have some idea of how to cope with whatever life throws at you. RETIREMENT

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Stop thinking about ageing and retirement as the end of everything and start thinking of this stage as a new beginning, an opportunity to live a life that you have not been able to choose, or had the time to think about, while you were working. Question your own assumptions and those of others. Refuse to be defined by age alone. It does not make sense to assume that some areas of life are closed to you just because you have reached a certain birthday. Be prepared to try things out, and stretch your boundaries. You will suddenly find that rather than life ending and doors closing, there is a whole new vista opening up before you.

Questions to Ask Yourself What will I miss about work? How much money will I really need? What am I looking forward to after retirement? Will I be lonely? How will I fill my days? Will I be bored? How will this affect my close relationships? What have I always wanted to do, but never had the chance? How will my health affect my plans? Do I want to move house? Listed below are the areas that other people have identified as important to having a good, balanced and satisfying retirement. These, together with the above list of questions, should get you thinking?

Five Things Necessary for a Good Retirement

Planning for Retirement

Studies of those who have already retired have demonstrated that for the majority of people there are at least five things that you need to include in your life to have a happy, healthy and successful retirement. When you are working, these needs, or most of them, will largely be met by your working environment and the people in it. Now you are going to have to think about fulfilling them for yourself:

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Social contacts – Meeting regularly with friends and family, and developing or maintaining a network of friends, whose company you enjoy, is crucial to maintaining both your mental and physical health. A strong, happy and close martial relationship or partnership is correlated with good health in old age. Becoming involved in community activities can also help in making new friends and give you a sense of purpose and belonging. However, people vary in the amount of social contact that they need and enjoy. Do you like to spend a lot of time alone, or are you a party animal, who easily gets bored and lonely without lots of people around?

Physical activities – Walking, cycling, swimming, keep fit, yoga, dancing, gardening, and even housework can all help to keep the engine ticking over, and prevent degeneration. Any kind of regular activity or sport will help. People who keep fit can often avoid health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes and even dementia, and may live longer. How fit are you? Could you benefit from spending more time exercising? What kind of exercise might you enjoy? Could you take up something completely new, such as Pilates or Tai Chi? Intellectual challenges – Having a range of activities in your life that offer intellectual stimulation will prevent boredom and keep your brain fit. Learn a new language, take up a new hobby, join an evening class, or teach others something that you already know. Games such as bridge or chess, especially in a competitive setting, can offer a new challenge. You might even consider enrolling for a degree course. If you have never got to grips with computers or the internet, now may be the time to try. However, whatever you choose needs to be something you will enjoy, and that you feel is worthwhile. Give it some thought and get that grey matter working!

Creative activities – Make things, learn to paint or draw, or take up pottery or sculpture. Wood-carving or wood-turning can be immensely satisfying, or you might fancy making jewellery or Christmas decorations. Even cookery can be creative if you try new recipes and experiment. Gardening and especially garden design can be creative too. Some people enjoy making toys or models. It does not matter what it is, or even if you are not very good at it, as long as you enjoy it, and are pleased with what you create. If you have never done anything creative before, you might want to join a class to learn a new skill. You may make some new friends. A passion - Something that makes you want to get up in the morning. It may be a new job, or an old hobby, such as golf or gardening. It might be a completely new interest. Many people find a new course of study opens the door to a new fascination. Some people have always dreamt of being their own boss and running their own business. Or maybe it will be travelling that offers new experiences and excitement. Creative pursuits can also be a passion, as can involvement in community activities or politics. Could you become a local councillor, or even an MP? What will your passion be? This may all sound a bit daunting at first, but as we consider the different parts of your life and look at what kind of person you are, it should gradually become apparent to you what sort of retirement will work for you. Probably there are several possible paths you could take. If you are not sure, then experiment. Try things out, and if they feel wrong then you don’t need to continue. You are in charge now, to a large extent, so make the most of it n An extract from Happy Retirement by Carol Hagland, published by OneWorld. ISBN 978-1-85168 -763-3. www. oneworldpublications. com

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10 TOP TIPS ON WRITING YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY Jackie Sherman

any of us regret the fact that we didn’t get to know our parents, grandparents or other close relatives well enough. If only they had written down all those details about their early lives before it was too late! Make sure your own descendants don’t have such regrets by writing your autobiography. It doesn’t have to be a book – you can still hand down a manuscript of great value in the form of short stories, anecdotes, a scrapbook of captioned photographs or even descriptive pieces that will be cherished by future generations. As it takes a great deal of energy to complete such a large task, here are my top tips to help you achieve your goal.

1. Motivation is very important as it will help you keep going. As long as you are clear in your own mind why you are writing – perhaps for therapy, to be remembered or because you want to start a writing career – you will have a positive attitude that will see you through. Failure comes if you are only writing because you feel you should, or because someone else has asked you to. 2. We all remember in different ways, so you need to use a variety of techniques to help you recall details from your past. Drawing maps, handling objects around the home, re-visiting places you once lived or chatting to school friends can all help fill in annoying gaps in your past life. 3. Ephemeral things like smells, sounds, textures or images can trigger a memory wherever you happen to be, so it may help to carry a notebook around with you at all times.You can then jot down snapshots of your past as they come into your head. 4. People worry if they can’t recall every single event that occurred, but it would be a very boring autobiography if you did manage to remember everything. Instead, concentrate on the key events and choices you made. 5. Now and again, try to add in small details to help your readers become more involved with the story you are telling and to identify with the period or location you are writing about. Generalisations tend to keep readers at a distance.

9. One of the most important decisions you will need to make is how to structure your finished work. Especially if you are writing a book, you will need to decide whether to tell your story chronologically or if you would prefer to break it up and write around different themes. Now you can organise the material into 8 - 12 chapters and get down to planning which detailed events you are going to include in each one. This will help you weed out extraneous material that might otherwise turn your book into a long-winded and boring saga. 10. Don’t give up. Every time you write something, even a single paragraph, you will be building up the material you can draw on when deciding what to include in your finished work. A useful trick if it all seems too much is to set yourself a very small goal such as talking to one person about an incident from your past or writing half a page about that first day at work. Once you have achieved this, keep setting further goals and you will eventually find you have finished. Memory joggers, advice on creating a time line and improving your writing as well as goalsetting techniques and even an exercise on finding time to write are all included in “Writing Your Autobiography” (ISBN: 9781847162168) by Jackie Sherman - out now n

Writing Your Autobiography by Jackie Sherman is published by Emerald Publishing, price £9.99

10 Top Tips On Writing Your Autobiography

6. Time lines are a great device for sorting out gaps and identifying extra experiences to include. Divide your age by six so that you will have six equal time periods to work on and you should find it straightforward to remember significant or amusing things that happened during each block of years. 7. You don’t have to be a brilliant writer, but it might be worth adding in a few “writerly” devices such as similes and metaphors to liven up your stories. Also, make sure that readers won’t get confused if your story goes backwards and forwards in time or you introduce a huge cast of characters. 8. Dialogue can be a really good way to improve your finished work. Letting your characters speak for themselves will show rather than tell readers more about their background, education, values and attitudes.

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Making Money Finding Money

Literally

You too could rake in a massive haul of Roman coins worth over £1 million, as Dave Crisp did – with only a little investment in a metal detector and a huge amount of time spend scouring the earth listening for little beeps. Check out garysdetecting.co.uk for advice on getting started, but don’t expect quick success.

A LITTLE BIT ON THE SIDE

‘I’m living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart’, said E.E. Cummings. Don’t be like him: there are lots of ways of making a little, or a lot, of extra money on the side when you know where to look for them.

Are you the heir to a fortune?

It’s not very likely, but worth checking. Banks hold billions of pounds in unclaimed ‘orphan’ assets. Find out if some of them rightly belong to you from the Unclaimed Assets Register, uar.co.uk.

Have you won a prize?

Check whether any unclaimed prizes might actually be yours – at national-lottery.co.uk and at the National Savings and Investments, nsandi.com, for premium bonds.

Charity grants

Buy the Charities Digest handbook secondhand, e.g. from Amazon.co.uk, for £1-2 and search through it to see if there could be a charity which exists to give out grants to precisely people like you.You’d be surprised to find the range of people who are eligible for grants for a whole range of things.There is no need to buy the current edition which costs over £35, as a copy of the book that’s a couple of years old will very likely do just as well.

Credit Unions are non-profit making cooperatives which pay interest on savings and provide low-cost loans.They are designed for people on low incomes who might otherwise not have access to regular financial savings and loans products.They are regulated by the FSA and so are protected by the safety net of the Financial Ombudsman and Financial Compensation Scheme if things go wrong. See the Association of British Credit Unions, abul.org, for more details. RETIREMENT

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Are you claiming everything you are entitled to?

• Benefits: Be sure that you are receiving all the government benefits your circumstances entitle you to. Use the benefit checker on turn2us.org.uk to find out. • Council Tax: Students pay no council tax – even a whole house full of them. Or if you live alone you are entitled to a 25% discount in council tax. If your property is empty and unfurnished, e.g. while undergoing redecoration, you don’t need to pay council tax during this period. In all cases, make sure you tell the council as soon as the entitlements start, and again when they end, so that you don’t end up having to repay. • Home and Energy Grants: You may be eligible for a grant to insulate your home or provide you with a new boiler etc. • Bursaries for Private Schools: Many private and public schools have bursaries for people in particular financial situations – you don’t necessarily need to be on a very low income to be able to qualify. Search for bursaries at independentschool.com to find out the options, and look at FeeAssistanceLondonSchools.org.uk for London independent schools, or ask a school you are interested in directly.

Shops and restaurants are keen to find out if their customer service really does make the grade, and so they will pay for you to buy their goods or eat their food and find out. They sometimes pay in cash which can be up to £50 a day, but more often in vouchers. Most assignments are short and you need to pay for your own travel. Check out retaileyes.co.uk, retail-maxim.co.uk, grassrootsmysteryshopping.com and mysteryshoppers.co.uk and consumerintelligence.com to check up on call centres. For restaurant meals for free look at secretsquirrel.biz or mysterydining.com.

Win a competition

There are hundreds of competitions going on all the time – from single bingo and missing word competitions, to competitions giving prizes to the best photo, or poem, or caption etc. Check out lopaux.co.uk to find a list of them and how to enter. Avoid payto-enter competitions.

Be a TV extra

Being an extra – sorry, I mean ‘background artiste’ – is not just for Ricky Gervais; you can be one too. You can earn up to £80 a day, although travel expenses are often not paid for. The work is irregular and involves lots of waiting around, but can be great fun. The agencies 2020casting.com and with universalextras.co.uk are free to register but take a cut, while you have to pay to register with sites such as filmextras.co.uk and extras. co.uk, although the latter has a thirty-day free trial. Upload well shot photographs of yourself to maximise your chances of work.

Making Money

Alternative Finance

Be a mystery shopper

Advertising Feature

Increase your retirement income by up to 40%* depending on your medical situation

etirement is a time of great change. The chance to relax, take up new hobbies and enjoy life. But many people find that the retirement income they have been looking forward to is lower than they expected. We all want to make the most of our retirement and with an annuity you only get one chance. An annuity converts your pension pot into an income for the rest of your life so it really pays to shop around to make sure you get the retirement you deserve.

The Age UK Annuity Service Age UK is the new charity formed by the merger of Age Concern and Help the Aged. Age UK offer a range of products and services designed to meet the needs of those in later life, and the Age UK Annuity Service is no exception. The Age UK Annuity Service is provided by Premier Retirement Services who specialise in helping people make the most of their retirement income. The service takes your health and lifestyle into account when determining the income you’ll be paid – even a minor medical condition could make a noticeable difference. If you are healthy you could still benefit by getting a range of quotes from other annuity providers.

See how shopping around could increase your retirement income for the rest of your life Typical examples Lowest quote offered Highest quote offered for someone in good health Highest quote offered for a smoker taking high blood pressure tablets Highest quote offered for a smoker who has had a heart attack in the last year

Annual income £1,461 £1,678 £2,018 £2,179

The quotes indicated in the table above have been obtained using the Age UK Annuity Service online quote comparison on 21/07/2011. Based on a 65-year-old male purchasing a single life annuity (no additional options selected) with a pension pot of £25,000. The actual income you receive will depend on the rates available at the time of your purchase and your individual circumstances.

It’s easier than you might think The Age UK Annuity Service has been developed to give you all the information you need in an easy step by step process. At the end you will have quotes from up to 8 of the leading providers including Just Retirement, Aviva, Prudential and Legal and General. This means you can easily compare which one will give you the best retirement income.

Before you retire, your existing pension provider will send you a letter telling you how much income you get for your pension pot. Before acting, take some time and follow these easy steps. 1. Don’t automatically accept the quote from your own pension provider 2. Call 0845 600 9272† quoting ref AgeEA48 or visit www.ageuk.org.uk/annuity to access the Age UK Annuity Service comparison tool and obtain a range of quotes based on your personal circumstances 3. Review the quotes from up to eight leading annuity providers, including Aviva, Prudential and Just Retirement 4. If you decide to accept one of the quotes, you will be sent a simple application form to complete and return Once you have committed to an annuity provider and started to receive an income, the decision can’t usually be reversed. So it is essential that you make sure you are getting the best possible annuity rate. It could make a difference of up to 40%* more retirement income. A few minutes shopping around could make a noticeable difference *Source date: 12/07/2011. 40% is achieved by comparing the lowest standard annuity rate against the best enhanced rate for a person who has medical conditions. Quotes are based on a RH2 7RU postcode for a 65 year old male with a pension pot of £25,000 with no guaranteed period, no escalation and no value protection which has been obtained from Avelo Exchange.The comparison is based on rates available via the open market option only. The Age UK Annuity Service is provided by Premier Retirement Services a division of JLT Benefit Solutions Ltd. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. A member of the Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group. Registered office: 6 Crutched Friars, London, EC33N 2PH. Registered in England No. 02240496. †If you call the 0845 number, you will be dealing with Premier Retirement Services, which provides the Age UK Annuity Service. The call centre opening hours are 9am–8pm Monday to Friday. Calls are charged at local rates and may be recorded and monitored for training purposes. Age UK Enterprises Limited is a commercial services arm of Age UK (registered charity number 1128267) and donates its net profits to Age UK. Age UK is a registered trademark. The use of the name and logo ‘Age UK’ is done so under licence agreement between Age UK and Age UK Enterprises Limited. Promoter: Age UK Enterprises Limited. Registered in England and Wales number 3156159. Registered office:Tavis House, 1–6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA RETIREMENT

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Increase your retirement income by up to 40%* depending on your medical situation

Age UK team up with Premier Retirement Services to help you shop around for a better annuity rate

BE PAID FOR GIVING YOUR OPINIONS

This can be a nice little earner – a good little bit of extra money on the side. There are many ways to do this.

Online survey sites

You can earn little but often by filling in online surveys; vouchers are more common than cold hard cash. The surveys can take just a few minutes to fill in and with most sites you need to reach a threshold before they pay out at all, so only start if you mean to carry on. Sites to look at include mysurvey.com, justtheanswer.co.uk, panelbase. net, qnaresearch.com (IT specialists), onepoll. com and valuedopinions.co.uk Be sure to sign up to an extra email address, e.g. at gmail.com, before you start so that you can keep track of the tasks in hand, and so that your regular email account doesn’t become entirely clogged.

Renew your holiday

Some travel sites pay for travel review from self-styled experts, so if you have a story to tell, especially if it’s from an unusual location, then you might be able to make something from it. Check out simonseks.com and for even more committed wannabe writers, travelintelligence.com.

Review other products

Brands always want to know how to improve their products, and maybe you have the know-how to tell them.You could always get them to send you their product for free and give it a try – check out dooyoo. co.uk who pay up to 60p for each product review you write and you get to keep the product too. Unless it’s a chocolate bar, in which case you get to eat it.

Be in a focus group

You can make good money this way – up to £50 an hour – just by saying what you think on any given subject. The market research companies will restrict how many focus groups you can be in, otherwise there is a danger of overweighting all focus groups with your, no doubt wonderful, opinions. Try saroresearch.com, fieldinitiatives.co.uk, indiefield.co.uk and focus4people.com.

MAKE MONEY FROM YOUR HOME Rent a Room

The government’s rent-a-room scheme means that you pay no tax on any income from renting out a room, or a sofa, in your house up to the first £4,250 you make on it in a year. This means not only is it more financially attractive than ever to have a lodger, but also the tax relief has spawned websites which aim to link your room up with potential renters, e.g. airbnb.com and crashpadder.com. You name your price for a night’s stay in your bijou reclining wicker chair in a dingy basement (or possibly your penthouse suite with self-contained towel rail) and if anyone takes the bait they have to pay at least a deposit upfront and the remainder upon arrival (or they can opt to pay fully upfront) and then the website takes a cut of the profit.

Have a foreign exchange student to stay and show them around

For hosting a foreign exchange student (or someone from overseas who wants to improve their English), and providing B&B, you can earn upwards of £80 a night – more if you’re offering ensuite accommodation, and yet more if you provide an evening meal and take them out on ‘cultural’ trips and teach them English for a few hours a day. Ask at any language schools near you (search the Yellow Pages or yell.com to find them) or take a look at interstudies.org.uk, homestaybooking.com or foreignexchange. com.

Hire out your house or car as a film location

You can get over £1,000 a day for renting out your house or car for a film shoot; we got £500 from a film company to hire our clapped-out old Lada for a day (it was painted tartan at the time). You can register with a bunch of film location companies, but be prepared for quite an amount of disruption if the inside of your house is chosen – outside shots pay out less but involve a great deal less hassle. There are many film location companies to register with, e.g. film-locations.co.uk, locationsuk.com, unitbase.co.uk, amazingspace.co.uk or for Scotland scottishscreenlocations.com.

Making Money 12

Sell, sell sell! And hire out

RETIREMENT

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Get rid of your excess stuff for good – sell it on eBay or at car boot sales. Or hire out what you don’t need right now but might need some time in the future – check out the peer-to-peer site ecomodo.com and post online the contents of your shed to see if anyone might be willing to pay to borrow them for a while.

Make money from your car, or driveway

If you have a driveway or other off-road parking and you live in a city where there are parking restrictions, or if you live near any major transport hub such as an airport, you may be able to make money by renting out your parking spot to other drivers. Take a look at the websites parkatmyhouse. com, yourparkingspace.co.uk and parkonmydrive. com to see if it could be for you. If you have a car which you don’t need every day, you could register it as available for rental from whipcar.com, a peer-to-peer car rental site which links you with people who need a car to rent. If your insurance covers other drivers your insurance should not be affected, but do check.

Or your garden

If you would be happy to have people sleep in your garden with occasional use of your house (I.e. for bathroom, kitchen etc.) then check out campinmygarden.com and sign up to have your lawn listed.

Summary

There are hundreds of ways to make a little extra money each month – from internet surveys to mystery shopping, being an extra in a TV show, or renting out your car or garden. Or you might just find money lying around in the ground in the shape of original Roman coins if you look for long enough. You might already be the heir to a fortune and wouldn’t it be a shame if you never checked to make sure? n An extract from Look After the Pennies: 100s of Money-saving Tips and Tricks by Tess Read. Look After the Pennies: 100s of Money-saving Tips and Tricks by Tess Read is published by Michael O’Mara Books, priced £5.99. Readers can order it for the special price of £3.99 with free p&p by calling 01903 828503 and quoting RT/PENNIES (UK mainland only, while stocks last)

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Fish Pie Serves 6-8 1.5kg/3lb 5oz skinless fish fillets (haddock/cod/coley/ling and undyed smoked haddock) 600ml/20fl oz whole milk 25g/1oz fresh parsley (stalks and leaves) 8-10 peppercorns 60g/2 ¼ oz plain flour 100ml / 3 ½ fl oz dry white wine 3 heaped tablespoons capers The zest of 1 large lemon 3 large free-range eggs, hard boiled and sliced

Eating in is the new EATING OUT!

ome cooking has never been easier with Scottish TV cook Sue Lawrence’s new book ‘Eating In’. Sue’s Scottish roots are evident throughout the book where she adds a modern twist to some classically traditional and much loved Scottish recipes for every occasion, from everyday cooking to entertaining from the comfort of your own kitchen. Here are a couple of our favourites.

Venison Chilli

This is delicious served with baked potatoes Serves 6 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 1 red chilli, de-seeded and chopped 500g/1lb 2oz venison mince 1 teaspoon freeze-dried oregano ½ teaspoon ground cumin 1-2 teaspoons chilli powder 150ml/5fl oz passata 1 x 420g tin kidney beans, drained

For the topping: 1.8kg/4lb potatoes and parsnips/celeriac, peeled and cut into chunks

200ml/7fl oz dark beer (stout) Sour cream, to serve

60g/2 ¼ oz butter Milk for thinning, if necessary 25g/1oz freshly grated Parmesan

Eating in is the new eating out!

I have given suggestions for the white fish fillets to use for this pie; but I also sometimes add in a couple of salmon fillets, for both flavour and colour. I usually use half smoked fish, half unsmoked. And, for the topping, I like to use about two-thirds potatoes to a third either parsnips or celeriac. Serve with peas or roasted fennel. (This dish can be prepared a day in advance –just cover and chill after topping with the potato. Be sure to bring it back to room temperature before cooking, though.)

Place the fish in a saucepan with the milk. Add the parsley stalks and peppercorns, and bring slowly to the boil. Bubble for 2 minutes and then remove from the heat, cover and leave for about half an hour. Meanwhile, to make the topping, boil the potatoes (and parsnips/celeriac) until tender and then drain thoroughly. Mash with the butter until soft (adding a little milk if it is too thick) and then add the cheese. Season to taste. Strain the fish liquor over a bowl and break the fish into large chunks. Place these in a large ovenproof dish. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat and then add the flour. Cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes and then gradually add the wine and milk whisking until smooth. Cook for about 5 minutes and then remove from the heat and add the capers and lemon zest. Chop and add the parsley leaves. Taste for seasoning. Place the egg slices on top of the fish and then tip over the sauce. Spoon the mash over the fish, level with a knife and then fork up. Place on a baking tray (in case of spillage) and then bake in the oven for about 1 hour or until piping hot and golden brown. Leave for 5 minutes before serving. RETIREMENT

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Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the onions over a low heat until softened; this will take about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and chilli, and fry gently for a further couple of minutes. Increase the heat, add the mince, stirring well to break it up. Once browned all over, tip in the oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin and chilli powder. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the passata, beans and beer, stir well and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for about 11/2 hours. Taste for seasoning and then serve piping hot with a spoonful of sour cream on top.

Recipes from Eating In by Sue Lawrence, published by Hachette Scotland. ISNB 978-0-7553-6005-5

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AboutBritain... Edward McKnight Kauffer. Summertime Pleasures by Underground, 1925. Private Collection

The Spirit of Christmas Fair 2-6 November 2011 at London’s Olympia, Kensington The Spirit of Christmas Fair in association with House & Garden is the most exclusive event to find fresh, innovative ideas and be inspired by over 600 hand-picked boutiques. It provides the most discerning of shoppers the chance to shop, dine and socialise whilst discovering unique and irresistible gift ideas for the festive season. Indulge yourself in an incomparable Christmas Shopping experience with each boutique company selected for its quality and originality. The ideal place to find exquisite Christmas decorations and ideal gifts. Food lovers and gourmets will also be tempted with seasonal delights as the The Food Hall offers the country’s finest delicacies for the festive season. Mouth watering cheeses, fish, cured meats, Christmas cakes and the finest wines, are amongst the tempting selection on offer from over 100 specialists. Plus in the workshops discover the art of entertaining from true experts, share the latest trends across table top ideas and centrepieces to beautiful wrapping ideas.

The Poster King: Edward McKnight Kauffer

Advance adult: £16 Advance child (13 and over): £8.50 Children 12 and under FREE Opening Times: Wed 2 Nov – Sat 5 Nov 2011 -10am-6pm Sun 6 Nov 2011– 10am-5pm For further information visit www.spiritofchristmasfair.co.uk or call 0871 230 1089

George Chinnery (1774-1852) Figures at the Water’s Edge by a ruined tomb, Bengal Sze Yuan Tang Collection

Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, Canonbury Square, London

14 September – 18 December This autumn the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art is hosting a major exhibition exploring the work of one of the key figures of British Modernism with The Poster King: Edward McKnight Kauffer This landmark exhibition comprises some 50 pioneering works of graphic design and illustration by this fascinating and multifaceted personality. A remarkably versatile artist, Edward McKnight Kauffer (1890-1954) drew on a wide variety of styles in creating his works, yet it is his celebrated posters created for clients such as London Underground and Shell during the inter-war years for which he remains most famous. The exhibition is a celebration of the ways in which the work of this remarkable artist informed and transformed the visual culture, drawing on major holdings of Kauffer’s work including those of the Victoria and Albert Museum and the London Transport Museum, as well as thearchives of Shell and BP, and items from the collection of the family.

About Britian

Open Wednesday to Saturday 11.00 to 18.00 hours. Sunday 12.00 to 17.00 hours

Thursdays until 20.00 hours. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Price £5.00, concessions £3.50, includes permanent collection and temporary exhibitions For further information www. estorickecollection.com or tel 020 7704 9522 RETIREMENT

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Willie ChristieBowie & Deneuve

Willie Christie Photography Limited Edition Collection at The Ivy club during London Fashion Week

15 September 7.30pm This special exhibition from Willie Christie’s personal archive showcases images from the 1970s and early 1980s where he worked extensively with British Vogue, on prestigious fashion advertising campaigns, on film sets and on a host of Rock n’Roll album covers. From Pink Floyd to Bryan Ferry, Christie worked with some of the biggest names in the 1970s music scene. The collection also unveils behind the scenes shots of iconic actors of British films, such as Jerry Hall in Pinewood studios for the filming of The Spy Who Loved Me and an enthralling shot of David Bowie with Caherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon on the film set of Tony Scott’s The Hunger. Also among the undiscovered fashion prints are a selection of private portraits of Willie Christie’s ex wife Grace Coddington, shot in the couple’s London marital home during her years as Fashion Editor at British Vogue. For further information visit www.williechristie.com

The Flamboyant Mr Chinnery (1774-1852) An English Artist in India and China

First loan exhibition of Chinnery’s work in Britain for over 50 years

4 November – 21 January George Chinnery is one of the British artists most neglected in his native country. Whilst there have been substantial exhibitions of his work in other countries, there has been no public exhibition in Britain since the Arts Council show in 1957, and prior to that a retrospective at the Tate in 1932. Therefore the forthcoming exhibition on view at Asia House in London is long overdue and promises to surprise and delight the visitor. The exhibition comprises some 100 works showing Chinnery’s range, from oils and watercolours to landscapes and portraits, with a special emphasis on his vivid and deceptively simple watercolours, and his fluent drawings of the people going about their everyday lives. Also included are a group of his self-portraits, presenting ‘the ugliest man on the China coast’ as he regarded himself, at varying ages and in contrasting states of mind. Admission is free. Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 10am – 6pm. Closed Sunday. Closed 24 December-2 January. For further information visit www.asiahouse.org or tel 020 7307 5454

The Red Squirrel Our National Heritage… Recent announcements on Inheritance Tax mean that now is the time to make sure your will benefits those close to you. Now that leaving bequests to charity bring added value to a will, could you please consider a gift to the Red Squirrel Survival Trust? We are the only national charity dedicated to saving this truly iconic species from extinction. A legacy to us is a legacy for future generations – helping to save a special piece of our heritage.

Please visit www.rsst.org.uk for more information on our work and helpful tips on making or changing your will – or call us on 0207 864 1444. Reg. Charity no. 1116947 (England & Wales) SC039959 (Scotland)

Make the most of your retirement Stay active, take in the fantastic scenery and meet some new friends.

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SYHA RetirementToday 1-2.indd 1

RETIREMENT today 15/8/11 10:48:45

UPDATE

Spiralling living costs force retirees to consider a new start

Research by CurrencyUK has found that the rising cost of living is giving retirees in Britain reason to take flight and settle abroad.

93 year old graduates from Queen Mary At the age of 93, Dr John North is one of the oldest ever students in the UK. He has been awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy following completion of his thesis Winckelmann’s “Philosophy of Art”: A Prelude to German Classicism, under the supervision of Professor Ruediger Goerner, Head of Queen Mary’s School of Languages, Linguistics & Film. Dr North commented: “The doctorate is a great honour and achievement – I enjoyed the research and the discovery of connections between German pre-classical and classical literary aestheticism. I will not use the title Dr. – at my age it would not be sensible. I have no clearly defined plans but will continue research in the area of my expertise. In what form is unclear at present. I will consult Professor Goerner on the choices open to a post-doctorate research student.”

Just under half (48.5%) of all households in fuel poverty New figures released by Department Energy Climate Change (DECC) show the number of fuel poor households has increased to 5.5 million for 2009, a rise of 1 million since 2008. Just under half (48.5%) of all households in fuel poverty contain one person aged 60 or over. Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director at Age UK, says “With new figures showing almost half of people living in fuel poverty are aged over 60, today’s eye watering increase in fuel poor households shows this problem continues to hit older people the hardest.

Update

“What’s more worrying is this figure only looks set to increase as energy companies announce further double digit per cent price increases, leaving more older people desperately trying to meet rising bills. Research shows many older people are forced to choose between eating and heating their homes, causing illness and in extreme cases, needless deaths.

“These figures should send a clear warning to Government that it is losing the war against fuel poverty and action must be urgently taken to prevent another similar increase next year. The only sure way to help people manage rising energy costs is to help them properly insulate their homes and reduce their need for energy – especially for households in fuel poverty.” RETIREMENT

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A survey of 60 to 65 year olds by the leading online currency broker reveals that more than 38 per cent are considering a move overseas, as Government spending cuts filter down to communities. Many local authorities have hiked up costs for their services as a result of unprecedented budget cuts, while food and fuel costs continue to soar. Of the 38 per cent wanting to flee Britain, more than a quarter expressed a desire to make the move permanently, with the others seeking a holiday home so they can spend more time abroad. The reasons given for leaving the UK’s shores when retiring included: • 42% - because it is cheaper to live abroad • 30% - want a better standard of living • 20% - for better weather • 4% - to be near to family • 4% - to travel

Research leads to new treatment in pain relief If you have chronic pain, you will know what it is like to suffer a life-sentence of agony and despair, non-stop pain nagging away, grinding you down. At the Pain Research Institute in Liverpool, research has revealed astonishing changes in the brain of patients with chronic pain. A brain scan called ‘functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging’ was used to investigate the changes, measuring how they perform when pain improves. It led to a hypothesis that if we promote changes in the function of certain brain circuits, it will result in major pain relief. This research led to a new treatment method, called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, and they are using it to interfere with the function in those areas of the brain associated with chronic pain. It is a painless means of getting electrical energy, or a magnetic field, into the cortex of the brain, where it induces electrical currents in the desired target area and the targeted brain cells can be activated or stimulated. It was shown on BBC’s ‘HORIZON’ programme when the treatment showed amazing results and they were swamped with telephone calls for days afterwards, with patients asking to be treated. They have recruited some of these patients into their trials. For further information visit www.painrelieffoundation.org.uk

Own your own Luxury Lodge

Enjoy your retirement at one of the UK’s premier country park developments. Tattershall Lakes Country Park is the ideal place to own your own lodge – naturally beautiful and peaceful but with a wide range of activities to enjoy. How you fill your days is up to you - enjoy a lazy days fishing or play a round of golf on the 18 hole golf course, or indulge yourself in our brand new health spa or enjoy a meal in the lakeside restaurant/bar . The choice is yours!

Prices from £49,995

For further information please call 01526 348800 Tattershall Lakes Country Park, Sleaford Road, Tattershall, Lincs. LN4 4LR

At Last! A NEW FORM OF HEATING FROM GERMANY In Germany and Austria it can get as low as -20, even -30ºC and a single snowfall can be as much as 3ft or more overnight. To deal with this severe cold they need powerful heating able to cope with sub zero temperatures and sudden climate change. They need excellent control and above all - low running costs without the need for constant servicing and replacement parts.

Bus to Town this winter?! The solution, incredibly... is electric! This incredible heating could be the answer to help beat ever increasing energy costs and amazingly, it is not gas or oil, or solid fuel - but clean electric! All you need is standard supply and NO special tariff like economy 7.

All over Europe more people are choosing to heat their homes and offices with this very special form of electric heating in preference to oil gas or E7. In our area, more and more of our customers are making that same decision and when you see this incredible heating for yourself you could be next!

Sunflow Ltd. offer a complete solution which can include disposing of your old central heating system, even oil tanks! Discover for yourself this incredible German heating. Get your FREE brochure by calling our 24hr Brochure Line on: 0800 158 8270 or email: info@sunflowltd.co.uk

The heating looks just like conventional radiators, but STOP! it is very different! Put simply, that clunky central heating boiler needing constant servicing and replacement parts isn’t the only choice anymore! Now you can heat your homes, offices, extensions or conservatories with these incredible heaters providing individual control over every room without the need for a central control or wasted boiler space. This incredible German heating simply plugs in! Job Done! You can do just one room or the whole house! This heating, whilst quite NEW in the UK has been mainstream for a very long time in Germany and Austria.

Replacement Service Sunflow can take the worry out of disposing of old central heating systems. We have a package price that includes the safe and certificated removal of oil, lpg and gas systems, even old oil tanks! Questions? Call Suzanne on 0800 158 8272

A ReAl AlteRnAtive to oil/GAs HeAtinG - Ask About ouR ReplAcement seRvice RETIREMENT

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Update

Simple to install, Powerful, and no more servicing - EVER!

We promise to care if you can’t

YES, please care if I can’t Please send my free information pack to: Mr/Mrs/Ms _________________________________ Address ____________________________________ ___________________________________________ _______________ ___ Postcode _________________ Tel ________________________________________ You can request your free information pack online at www.woodgreen.org.uk/petpromise or by emailing petpromise@woodgreen.org.uk

If something happens to you, it’s important to have a plan in place for your pet’s future care. We’ll promise to care for your pet if you can’t – whether you’re no longer around, become very unwell or move into residential care. Although no one can ever replace you, we’ll promise to do everything we can to find your pet a loving home. It’s a service we offer free because we care about animals. If you’d like us to make you and your pet a promise, just send for our free information pack.

Call us on

0844 248 8181

The Animals Charity Registered Charity No. 298348

Rehoming a pet when an owner dies

hen an owner dies or becomes unable to look after a pet, the pet may have to be rehomed and this can prove difficult for both the pet and the new owner. Dogs often adapt quite well to a new environment and, although there will be a time of adjustment whilst the animal settles down to a new routine and a new owner, the new environment may well help the dog to get over his pining for his previous owner. In contrast cats tend to become closely bonded to one individual and if that individual dies they may find it hard to adjust, becoming introverted and changing their behaviour quite markedly. ‘She always remained my mother’s cat,’ the new owner of a rehomed cat told us. Eventually the cat may form a bond with its new owner but it takes time and patience; old cats are much more set in their ways and therefore have much more difficulty settling down.

Replacement A dog is also much more likely to accept a replacement after its companion dies than a cat would be. Some cats never really accept a replacement for the companion they grew up with; it may take many months or it may never happen. Many cats simply behave as if the replacement does not exist. The decision to replace a pet must be based on your own personal feelings and also on your assessment of how a replacement would affect your existing pets. In some cases a replacement pet has proved positively beneficial. Brammer, a Labrador

cross and Bungle, a beagle, were inseparable. When Brammer became ill and euthanansia was carried out, Bungle appeared to become very depressed. Although he would show an interest in other dogs out on his walks, at home he was listless and miserable. After a year his owner acquired Bobby, another beagle, and after a period of adjustment Bungle is more or less back to normal. Although many animals show a change of behaviour following the death of a companion, not all changes are adverse ones. The death of a dominant pet may allow its more submissive companion to ‘blossom’; a shy, nervous cat may become confident and affectionate, a submissive dog may become the ‘leader of the pack’. When the ‘leader of the pack’ in a household of dogs dies, a new leader has to emerge and this may initially cause friction until the new social order becomes established.

Sensing death The warden of a block of flats agreed to look after an elderly lady’s dog when she went into hospital. At 11am one morning, for no apparent reason the dog sat up and howled. A little while later the hospital rang to say the lady has passed away – at 11am! In Taiwan many people ask a priest to visit them when they hear a dog howl, because a family death is believed to be imminent. Even in the fictional Sherlock Holmes stories, the howling of a hound announced the imminent death of a member of the Baskerville family. Tales of this nature are so numerous that it is hard to separate fact from fiction. It is not possible to reach any definite conclusion on the awareness of animals, but it is acceptable to suppose that animals may have faculties beyond our comprehension n

One of the charities at the forefront of providing a service to look after the pets of the deceased is Wood Green, The Animals Charity. The charity re-homes thousands of unwanted animals each year, not just domestic pets but farm animals also. Their excellent Pet Promise Scheme offers complete peace of mind for owners in the event that they pass away, offering particular security to the elderly or those living alone. Tara Dundon from Wood Green, The Animals Charity explains “If something happened to you, it’s important you have a plan in place for your pet’s future care. Wood Green, The Animals Charity promise to care for your pet if you can’t. Although no-one can ever replace you, we will promise to find your pet a loving home. This is a free service we provide as we care about the future welfare of your animals. Your pet is special – with likes and dislikes, and a unique personality. Our commitment to understanding each animal’s individuality ensures we can provide care that focuses on their needs, and a stay with us that is as stress-free as possible. For instance, if you have a very active dog, we’ll make sure he has plenty of opportunities during the day to run around and play in our activity gardens. Or if you have a cat who has a favourite toy or bedding, we’ll ensure it stays with them so they feel comfortable at home. We also go to great lengths to help pets that are feeling worried in their new environment. We use calming techniques such as providing stressrelieving pheromone collars, or playing classical music in the animal sections. We also have a team of volunteers who provide foster homes to animals who, for whatever reason, are not coping well in the centres. This is a great benefit to some animals, especially those that are nervous or those that are receiving treatment for a medical problem. For further information on Pet Promise Scheme call Wood Green on 0844 248 8181 or email info@ woodgreen.org.uk. RETIREMENT

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Rehoming a pet when an owner dies

An extract from Absent Friendcoping with the loss of a pet by Laura & Martyn Lee, published by Interpet Ltd

One for Sorrow

e live in an age of scientific and technological enlightenment, yet our language is peppered with often half-remembered phrases from country wisdom. Whether reminding us of moral precepts or advising us on tomorrow’s weather, they are part of our shared folk consciousness. We have selected three phrases along with their origins and meanings of old fashioned lore.

These days we abbreviate the phrase to ‘Don’t count your chickens’ and still use it for advocating caution when assessing one’s assets. We also use it to explain our own reluctance to assume success before we’re sure of it by saying ‘I don’t want to count my chickens’. More recent US folklore offers the alternative ‘Don’t go selling the hide while the bear remains in the hole’.

DON’T COUNT YOUR CHICKENS BEFORE THEY’VE HATCHED

One for Sorrow

This extract from One for Sorrow: The Origins of Old-Fashioned Lore by Chloe Rhodes is published by Michael O’Mara Books, priced £9.99. Readers can order it for the special price of £6.99 with free p&p by calling 01903 828503 and quoting RT/OFS (UK mainland only, while stocks last)

This phrase has been in use since at least the mid-sixteenth century and for many medieval farmers and smallholders it would have had literal as well as metaphorical relevance.The sale of livestock was an important source of income and it must have been tempting to calculate what your budget might be for the following month based on the number of eggs you hoped would have hatched by market day. But eggs are the perfect ingredient for this kind of allegory because for them to hatch successfully conditions have to be exactly right; the rooster needs to be young and virile; the hens have to sit on the eggs so that the temperature stays high enough for the chicks to develop, and the humidity levels have to be higher than average. With all these factors at play it isn’t unusual for a number of eggs not to hatch, and in the days before incubators, unhatched eggs were even more common. The wise words first appeared in print in the poet Thomas Howell’s New Sonnets and Pretty Pamphlets (1570), which adds an additional line to emphasise this lesson:

Counte not thy chickens that unhatched be, Waye wordes as winde, till thou finde certaintee. RETIREMENT

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AN APPLE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY The quarterly scholarly journal Notes and Queries seems to have put this ancient phrase in print for the first time in 1866, describing it as a ‘Pembrokeshire proverb’ though the version it printed is subtly different to the one we use now:

Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread. There is evidence to suggest that the apple was held in high regard in Wales long before health benefits we now associate them with could have begun to be understood. Several examples of early Welsh poetry are dedicated to the beauty of apple blossom, including the ‘Affallennau’ (‘Merlin’s Apple Trees’) in The Black Book of Camarthen, a collection

of poetry which was transcribed in around 1250 but describes events from as early as the sixth century. Another collection of early Welsh poetry, The Red Book of Hergest, includes descriptions of herbal remedies and makes clear the magical, curative properties of apples, describing them as a charm to combat ‘all sorts of agues’. And it seems they were right. We now know that many of the chemical properties of apples are directly beneficial to our health; they are rich in vitamin C, which reduces cholesterol and boosts the immune system; they’re a rich source of phytochemicals that can act as cancer-fighting anti-oxidants and are believed to reduce risk of stroke, prostate cancer, Type II diabetes and asthma.

A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE Advocating the benefits of acting promptly, this saying simply means that fixing a problem as soon as it is spotted will save time later as it can only get worse – getting the needle and thread out to carry out a timely mend might require just a single stitch whereas if you ignore the hole until it has grown larger, you’ll have to spend more time and use more stitches to mend it. (‘Nine’ stitches probably only because it came nearest to rhyming with ‘time’). The phrase’s literal applications would have rung true for most ordinary people in centuries gone by as fabric was very expensive and clothing had to last. Most garments were made from wool or linen and where they wore thin or tore they would have been mended, The adage is likely to have been passed on by word of mouth for many years before it was finally put into print in 1732 in Thomas Fuller’s Gnomologia, in which the phrase was given, as

A stitch in time may save time In 1797 English astronomer Francis Baily let out the hesitant ‘may’ of Fuller’s version when he noted it in his journal as ‘A stitch in time saves nine’ which is how we use the phrase today. It is usually employed to chivvy someone into attending to some small but irritating task that they would much rather put off indefinitely n

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Fancy a change of scenery? “We see India as no one else sees it” Join our Sponsored Bike Ride  Visit health centres & schools  Cycle manageable distances  Meet local people

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 Small groups

Have fun Get fit Make new friends! India Bike Rides November 2011 & January 2012 For further details contact events@leprahealthinaction.org 01206 216799 www.leprahealthinaction.org  Registered Charity No. 213251 (England & Wales) SC039715 (Scotland)

Retirement Today is giving one lucky reader the chance to win a pair of top price tickets to see the delightful national tour We’ll Meet Again. Presented by Angela Rippon, the show is packed with memorable songs such as We’ll Meet Again, White Cliffs of Dover, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, Moonlight Serenade and As Time Goes By, plus traditional singalong favourites including Underneath the Arches and Hang Out the Washing on the Siegfried Line. Singing legend and ‘Queen of the jingles’ Rosemary Squires will join a live orchestra and a host of special guests for this wonderfully nostalgic show! • We’ll Meet Again visits Eastbourne 2 Oct; Birmingham 7 Oct; Manchester 9 Oct; Bournemouth 15 Oct; Glasgow 23 October and London 29 Oct. For full tour details: www.raymondgubbay.co.uk

For a chance to win send in your details, quoting ref. WMA. Terms and Conditions Tickets valid at any venue on the We’ll Meet Again tour. Tickets must be taken up to two weeks prior to chosen performance. Tickets subject to availability. Closing date: 16 September 2011

The Girl... Trilogy on DVD Steig Larsson’s The Girl.. books have captured audiences worldwide and spawned a trilogy of wildly successful award winning films. Now The Girl Trilogy is release in one stunning DVD box set, with over two hours of previously unreleased scenes, with more of these complex characters and thrilling plots to discover. We have 5 sets to give away. For a chance to win send in your name and address, quoting ref. GT Closing date: 10 October 2011

COMPETITIONS Win: The Dairy Book of Home Cookery and Dairy Diary Gift Set The Dairy Book of Home Cookery was originally published in 1968 and has been re-worked to include, not only the traditional dishes we know and love, but also modern recipes utilising methods and ingredients not around when the book was first written. Entering its 30th year, the new Dairy Diary for 2012, also comes in a handy Gift Set – featuring the annual diary, a mini version, pen, notepad, page markers andstickers at an unbeatable price of just £8.99 for the whole set – an ideal Christmas gift for those ‘hard to buy for’ friends and relatives, and it’s great for the bank balance too! We’re giving 5 lucky readers the chance to win the new Dairy Book of Home Cookery and the Dairy Diary Gift Set. For your chance to win simply send in your name and address and tell us what year the Dairy Book of Home Cookery was originally published? If you’re not a lucky winner, you can order your own copy by visiting www.dairydiary.co.uk or calling 0845 0948 128. All of the Dairy Diary products are also available to buy directly from your milkman from September. Closing date: 10 October 2011 RETIREMENT

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Competitions

Take a trip down memory lane

The Girl…Trilogy is out on DVD and Blu-ray 19 September courtesy of Momentum Pictures

For a chance to win any of the prizes, send your name and address (quoting reference code) to: Amra Media Solutions, The Old Lavender Mill, 46a Brook Street, Aston Clinton, Bucks, HP22 5ES or email: info@amramedia.co.uk

GT930_Retirement_Today_June2011_Layout 1 09/06/2011 14:56 Page 1

A little change from you...

HELP US TO HELP THEM

...can make a big change to him.

Here’s how you can help. • Sponsor an RGT greyhound in kennels. You will receive a certificate and a profile of your chosen greyhound. All sponsors receive a badge, car sticker and our regular newsletter. • Make a donation. You can make an immediate donation by texting 70070 and the message: RGTD04 £10 (or amount of your choice). Anything you can spare helps a greyhound live a happier life. • Think of the RGT in your will. • Organise or participate in a sponsored event on our behalf.

COULD YOU GIVE A GREYHOUND A LOVING HOME? A greyhound makes an excellent family pet. They are very affectionate, quiet, docile, devoted and trustworthy. And despite their reputation as supreme athletes, they don’t need huge amounts of exercise. Believe it or not, greyhounds like to spend most of their time lounging around. If you can offer a home to a retired greyhound, call us on 0844 826 8424 or get in touch with your nearest branch. Our branch list can be found at www.retiredgreyhounds.co.uk Retired Greyhound Trust, 2nd Floor, Park House, 1-4 Park Terrace, Worcester Park, Surrey KT4 7JZ. Tel: 0844 826 8424 E: greyhounds@retiredgreyhounds.co.uk www.retiredgreyhounds.co.uk

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Charity no. 269668

egacies and donations from generous supporters are a lifeline for the Retired Greyhound Trust. Without such kind support, the charity would struggle to continue its tireless work finding loving new homes for greyhounds at the end of their racing careers. The Retired Greyhound Trust is the national charity dedicated to finding homes for greyhounds at the end of their racing careers and there are hundreds of dogs across the country in need of loving owners. Peter Laurie, the new Chief Executive of the Retired Greyhound Trust, said he wanted raise awareness among animal lovers of the potential to leaving legacies to the charity. He said: “It costs a lot to keep the dogs in kennels until new homes can be found for them. We use our legacy donations to help ensure every greyhound arrives at its new home vaccinated, neutered and after a health check from the vet. We also provide collars, leads and muzzles for every dog that leaves our kennels. “These can be costly for the charity, but we feel they are essential services to ensure both the greyhound and its new family get the best possible start to their new lives,” he added.

Without these much-needed funds, the charity will struggle to continue its great work in finding homes for around 5,000 retired greyhounds with caring owners every year. There are all sorts of ways to get involved with the charity as well as leaving a legacy – from adopting a greyhound or sponsoring a dog in kennels, to helping their local branches with fundraising or volunteering. For more information about the work of the Retired Greyhound Trust or to discuss leaving a legacy, please contact our head office on 0844 826 8424.

Dog Showtime Returns

The Retired Greyhound Trust’s Great Greyhound Gathering is back for its fifth year. Hundreds of greyhounds will descend on Nottingham for the family fun doggy extravaganza on Saturday 17th September. The Great Greyhound Gathering – the national dog show to celebrate greyhounds and the work of the Retired Greyhound Trust (www.retiredgreyhounds. co.uk) – will take place at Nottingham Race Course. The event will start at 9am with a host of activities, including stalls with dog goodies and face painting. The winning design of the Retired Greyhound Trust’s national competition the Ultimate Dog Coat will also be unveiled for the very first time n

Make a Donation

The Retired GreyhoundTrust now has lots of ways for its supporters to make donations. Funds can be pledged online through Just Giving - http://www.justgiving. com/greyhounds/donate/, by cheque to The Retired Greyhound Trust, 2nd Floor, Park House, Park Terrace, Worcester Park, Surrey, KT4 7JZ or by calling the office on 0844 826 8424. The Trust has also recently launched a new texting donation service - just text RGTD04 £10 (or other amount) to 70070.

A Loving Legacy

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Help us continue the fight against

Glaucoma Making a Will is not just essential for the sake of your loved ones it is also a wonderful opportunity to make the world a better place.

Molly Molly was found by walkers on Dartmoor, nearly drowned in a stream. She was pulled out, near death and brought to SWEP. Nursed back to life.

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness in the UK. By leaving a gift to our charity in your Will, you can help us give the support and information people need to stop this insidious condition from stealing their sight; and fund essential clinical research that would free future generations from glaucoma. For more information on how to leave a gift in your Will to the IGA, please contact our Legacy Officer on 01233 64 81 64 Thank you for such a precious gift.

Billy Found by walkers. Billy was stuck in a bog on Dartmoor. Walkers pulled him out â&#x20AC;&#x201C; no mare or herd to be seen. Foal followed the walkers to their checkpoint and SWEP were informed and took him in.

Specialising in helping and rescuing wild moorland ponies on Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor Ponies that are in an emaciated condition, mares having trouble giving birth and injured ponies hit by cars All ponies receive veterinary treatment Please help SWEP continue helping ponies like Molly and Billy by making a donation and Gift Aid or leaving SWEP a legacy You can ensure their future is safe in SWEPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s care 2 Tor Royal Bungalows, Princetown, Yelverton, Devon, PL20 6SL Tel/Fax: 01822 890668 - email: mail@swep.org.uk website: www.swep.org.uk

INTERNATIONAL GLAUCOMA ASSOCIATION Woodcote House, 15 Highpoint Business Village Henwood, Ashford, Kent TN24 8DH Sightline 01233 64 81 70 Administration 01233 64 81 64 Email info@iga.org.uk Website: www.glaucoma-association.com Charity registered in England & Wales No. 274681, in Scotland No. SC041550

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MAKING GIFTS IN YOUR WILL

Specific gift

Legacies A ‘pecuniary legacy’ is a particular type of specific gift that is a straightforward gift of money: for example, ‘£1,000 to my niece, Claire’.

On the whole, it is best to keep bequests of particular items or demonstrative gifts to a minimum. Particularly where your will is made a long time before death, there can be many changes to your possessions and the accounts and investments you hold. Your personal representative(s) have wide powers (called the power of appropriation) to use any part of your estate to satisfy legacies. For example, if you leave £1,000 to your niece, the executors could give, say, shares worth £1,000 rather than selling the shares and giving her the proceeds from the sale.

This can be a named or identifiable possession, such as a piece of furniture, an item of jewellery or a particular car. It may be a specific possession that you own at the time you write the will. If you later sell the item the beneficiary who was to have received it will get nothing after all. Alternatively, you might leave a more general type of specific gift. This would be the gift of a possession but not restricted to a specific item that you own at the time of drawing up the will. For example, you might give away ‘the car I own at the time of my death’, which would take into

account the possibility that you might change your car from time to time. A specific gift might be even more widely defined: for example, simply ‘a car’. In this latter case, the executors of your will would have a duty to make sure that the beneficiary received a car – either one that you owned at the time of death or, if you had none, one bought specifically to fulfil the terms of the will – or, alternatively, the trustees would have to pay over an equivalent sum of money.

A ‘demonstrative legacy’ can be either a general gift or a pecuniary legacy, which is to be paid from a specific fund: for example, ‘a violin to be paid for out of my account with Barclays Bank’ or ‘£1,000 from my account with the Nationwide’. If there was not enough money in the account, the shortfall would have to be met by using other assets in the estate.

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Making Gifts In Your Will

n your will, you can give away anything you own. There are different types of gift. The distinction between them is important both for tax reasons and because of the order in which they can be redirected to meet expenses and settle debts that you leave at the time of your death.The main types of gift are described as follows.

Making Gifts In Your Will 28

Residuary gift (the ‘residue’)

GIFTS YOU DO NOT MAKE

A will that assigned every part of your estate as a particular gift or legacy would be out of date almost immediately, because the value of your estate fluctuates even in the course of your daily transactions and will alter more widely during the course of time. Therefore, it is usual to leave whatever remains of your estate, after all your debts, expenses and various gifts, as listed above, have been paid, as a ‘residuary gift’ or ‘residue’. You may intend your residue to be a substantial gift or it may be a small amount with, say, the bulk of your estate given away through pecuniary gifts. To meet debts and expenses, any intestate part of your estate will be used up first, followed by the residue.

By omission, your will can also express your intention not to leave anything (or only very little) to people who might have expected to inherit from you. However, if these people were dependent on you (or you had a partner who had lived with you for at least two years as husband, wife or civil partner without necessarily being dependent), they have the right to make a claim through the courts under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 for reasonable provision out of your estate. If you have not made a will, dependants who do not benefit under the intestacy can also make a claim under this Act. The main people who are entitled to make such a claim are as follows:

> Your husband, wife or civil partner > A former husband, wife or civil partner, provided he or she has not remarried (and is not precluded from making a claim under the divorce or dissolution settlement) > A child of yours (whether legitimate, illegitimate or adopted) > A child of your family (i.e. a stepchild or foster child) > An unmarried partner. An application under the Act must usually be made within six months of the personal representatives being given permission to dispose of the estate, though the court can extend this time limit. The court decides whether or not the applicant is entitled to financial support from the estate and, if it decides in favour of the applicant, it can order the payment of either a lump sum or income (or both). However, in the case of an unmarried partner, a claim can only be for reasonable maintenance not a general share of the late partner’s estate (even if some of the deceased’s possessions had been informally considered to be shared assets). You might seek to anticipate and thwart such a claim by giving away as much of your estate as possible but this strategy will not work. The court has the power to revoke such gifts in order to ensure that enough funds are available to meet the needs of your surviving dependants. You can include in your will a statement setting out your reasons for excluding your dependants and the court will take this into account. It would be worth seeking advice from a solicitor about the most effective wording to use. In Scotland, you cannot disinherit your husband, wife, civil partner or children, who can claim their ‘legal rights’ to part of your estate n Extract from Giving & Inheriting by Jonquil Lowe (Which? Books) Special offer To buy a copy of Giving & Inheriting for just £8.99 (RRP £10.99) including UK p&p, call 01903 828557 and quote GIVINGRT. Offer ends 30 September 2011.

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Charity N E W S The Urchins are coming At this time of year Tiggywinkles are indeed flooded with all manner of orphaned birds and mammals. However they are all ever on alert for that first baby hedgehog at the front desk. But this year caught them all out with mother nature giving them their first baby hedgehogs from within the hospital. The first sign was in one of the ICU cages in the hedgehog room. A shrill piping in one of the bottom cages alerted them to a tiny mite of a newborn hedgehog vainly trying to find succour with another newborn that was already dead.

Mare starves herself to feed foal The South West Equine Protection is a small Devon based charity that helps and rescues moorland ponies. It has recently taken in four mares and foals for a variety of reasons ranging from neglect to life threatening injuries. SWEP already have a very full rehabilitation yard and as it is the mares that need the attention, the foals have to come to. This means two mouths to feed with a potential third if the mare is in foal again. All ponies receive the veterinary treatment they need to get them back to good health, so finances for the charity are stretched to say the least. Megan was very emaciated, starving herself, she had to feed her foal as well. She was thought to have been abandoned on the moor with no-one prepared to take ownership of her. SWEP took her in, gave her the food she needed and deserved, whilst still looking to trace her owners. These ponies will always remain the property of SWEP and will eventually be rehomed to lifetime loan homes. If you would like to know more about the charity and the work they do please contact them on 01822 890668 or visit their website at www.swep.org.uk.

They knew what to expect and on gingerly lifting the towel saw a quiet mother hedgehog suckling at least three urchins. Knowing how fickle she could be if she was disturbed, they quickly covered her up again and removed the rejected baby and its dead sibling. It would have been inadvisable to try to reintroduce the live urchin back to its mother. She would have possibly killed it. It when went to the Mammal Nursery where Siobhan and her team are perfectly competent surrogate mothers. As to nursing mum, they put her whole cage without disturbing her, in intensive care unit. They could not resist one more peek before they left her alone. In fact she had four little urchins lying contentedly feeding of mum. The only drawback would be they could not clean her out for fear of upsetting her fragile temperament. Still she didn’t seem to mind. These were the first urchins of the year. No doubt the harbingers of many more to come. They are ready for them! For further information visit www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk

What a way to spend your retirement Retired teacher Jenny Brayshaw is a great believer in the power of exercise. At 59 she has overcome health problems to be able to complete her latest adventure, a 540km charity bike ride in India. And she is looking for new recruits! Jenny was told 15 years ago that she would end up in a wheelchair as a result of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Keeping physically active has meant that she has been able to keep her bone density in check. “This is more than a holiday, it’s an adventure!” says Jenny of the trip run twice a year by charity LEPRA Health in Action on which cyclists are able to witness first-hand the work the charity carries out in remote and impoverished communities. “These trips are not aimed at professional cyclists. The ride is broken down into manageable distances with lots to see and do along the way. People cheer at the roadside; villagers welcome you with dancing and garlands – memories that last forever!”

Working in India, in urban slums and hard to reach tribal areas, LEPRA finds ways to bridge the gaps that exist in the health system. Working with local communities and government LEPRA helps people to transform their lives, restoring health, hope and dignity. Trip dates are 12th Nov - 26th Nov 2011 and 21st Jan – 5th Feb 2012. Interested? Call 01206 216799 or email events@leprahealthinaction.org or visit website www.leprahealthinaction.org RETIREMENT

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Charity News

“We see India as no-one else sees it, visiting some of the most rural and isolated villages. Many women here do not live into their 50’s, so when they see this see me leading a group of cyclists they think we’ve landed from another planet!”

GREY HAIRS

THE REGULAR PENSIONS COLUMN

SERPS THE GREAT PENSION MYSTERY

Every week in the UK, more baby-boomers reach the major landmark of their State Pension Age and become eligible to start receiving their UK State pension. Confirmation of what they can expect is provided by the Pension Service followed (once they have claimed their pension) by the first payment into their bank account which, for many, symbolizes the beginning of retirement.

more generous pension for low to moderate earners. It also extended access to include certain carers and those with a long-term illness or disability (i.e. non-earners) for the first time.

Some pensioners are content with their entitlement and readily accept the information provided by the Government. Many others, however, are more inquisitive and like to be able to understand how their pension has been calculated. Comparing State pension figures with those of a friend or relative invariably leave many wanting to find out more.

The original principle of SERPS (in April 1978) was to provide a pension of 25% of middle band earnings (those between the lower/upper earnings limits) for each tax year. This was later reduced to 20% in April 1988 with a phased introduction for some. These earnings are increased in line with national average earnings until your State Pension Age (SPA). The resultant amount is then divided by the number of complete tax years between April 1978 (or the first year in which you became eligible to pay National Insurance contributions, if later) and the tax year you reach SPA (and divided again (by 52) to give your weekly SERPS). A reduction is finally made if you were contracted (opted) out of the SERPS scheme at any time between 1978 and 1997 (by a separately calculated contracted-out deduction (COD)).

Understanding the Basic State Pension is fairly straightforward. Entitlement is based on the National Insurance (NI) record built up during a working life. If you reach State Pension Age on or after 6th April 2010, you accrue 1/30th of the maximum amount (currently £102.15 per week) for each year of NI paid or credited to your record (so you would currently need 30 years of NI to qualify for the full amount).

Grey Hairs

The SERPS element of the State pension is a top-up paid in addition to the Basic State Pension (BSP) but in contrast [to the BSP], the SERPS calculation is notoriously complicated and far beyond maths ‘A’ Level standard! Many believe there is a real need for independent expert assistance to help solve the mystery of how SERPS is worked out.

By Robert Grey, Pensions Specialist

Your S2P benefit is added to any SERPS to give what is known as your total ‘additional State pension’.

What is so complicated?

Confused? Well, you certainly should be as this has to be one of the most ridiculously complicated calculations ever invented.

What information do you need to calculate your additional State pension? - An up to date State pension forecast (available from the Pension Service) this will show any entitlement you have already built up to the date of your forecast; - A copy of your National Insurance earnings record as well as any contractedout earnings (from HM Revenue & Customs);

What is SERPS?

- Confirmation of any periods of contracted-out employment (since April 1978);

The State Earnings Related Pension Scheme (widely known as SERPS) was introduced by the Social Security Pensions Act of 1975 and came into effect from 6th April 1978.

- Access to historical data covering the relevant earnings thresholds (each year) as well as the annual increases in national average earnings;

SERPS is the part of the UK State pension that relates to your annual earnings between 1978 and 2002. It is effectively a career-average scheme with an entitlement built up in each tax year during this period based on the amount of Class I National Insurance contributions that you (if employed) paid on a certain band of earnings (unless you opted-out through a company or personal pension scheme at any stage). SERPS was not available to the self-employed. The Government tweaked the system in April 2002 replacing SERPS with S2P (State Second Pension) to provide a RETIREMENT

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If you are already in receipt of your State pension (and want to try a back-dated calculation), you will need confirmation of the amount of ‘additional State pension’ you initially received at your State Pension Date (before any subsequent annual increases in payment have been applied). The necessity for so much information (simply to be able to start a calculation) can put you off, especially if you are being continuously pushed from pillar to post (and back again) whilst trying to get hold of the relevant data from different Government departments. However, if you do need a helping hand in the right direction to obtain this information, or assistance in understanding better the method behind your ‘additional State pension’ calculation or you want to try to work your way through your own figures, then please send an initial enquiry via email to robertcagrey@hotmail.com and your individual circumstances can be further assessed n

tayroots retirement today ad '11_Tayroots retirement today ad 26/08/2011 10:00 Page 1

Find out more about your own family history at the

Tayroots Genealogy Fair & Workshops Find your family history

10.15am Workshop: Getting Started With Your Family History with Chris Paton Author, genealogist, and blogger (booking essential on tayroots@angusahead.com)

24 September 2011 10am – 4.30pm in the Robert Falcon Scott & Terra Nova Suites Discovery Point, Dundee

11.45am Lecture: Genes and Genealogy: the Scottish DNA Project – Who Are You REALLY? With Dr Bruce Durie, BBC broadcaster, author and genealogist 1.30pm

Lecture: Scottish Catholic Family History with Andrew Nicoll, Keeper of the Scottish Catholic Archive

2.45pm

Lecture: the Weavers of Perth – boom and bust is not a new concept! by Chris Paton

Stalls include societies and archives from the Borders to Banff Half-price admission to Discovery for Tayroots visitors on the day!

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Problem with your bank or insurance company? Worried something’s wrong? If you think there’s a problem – the ombudsman can help.

find out more about our free service for consumers phone 0300

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