Gatehouse School - Aspire Magazine

Life After 50Care Report50 Is The New 40Adventure, fun and excitement aren’t just for the young. In fact, with 50 beingdubbed the new 40, there have never been more opportunities to make the most ofyour free time and Aspire have some great ideas to keep you entertained...Start a Blog – with more than 50 years’ worth of experiences, stories andanecdotes, setting up a blog is the best way to share them with a readymadeaudience. Maybe you have stories about your children you would likeother people to read, you never know you may even find you have a talentfor it.Get Active – turning 50 doesn’t mean slowing down. In fact, keeping fit,healthy and active is the best way to stay younger for longer. From aquaaerobics to line dancing, golf to rambling, there are plenty of sports andactivities that will keep you healthy and introduce you to like-mindedpeople.Take a Course – if you’ve got a creative side you want to explore, whynot make the most of your time by signing up for a painting, drawing orphotography course. With art centres offering weekend courses in gloriouscountryside settings and local adult education centres providing longercreative courses, you can embrace your talents as much or as little as youlike.Go Travelling – the over 50s are now following the example of gap yearstudents and using their free time and spare cash to indulge in round theworld trips. Whether you’re taking part of your pension as a lump sum,downsizing your house or using your savings, you could choose to visitsomewhere you’ve only ever dreamed of going.Volunteer – if you’ve always wanted to do something to help others, now’sthe time to give something back. Whether you can spare a few hours a weekat a charity shop or are willing to tackle daring tasks to raise funds, there area wealth of good causes that would be delighted to have you on board.For those who aren’t yet 50, but want to be able to afford the lifestyle youdream about, getting the right financial planning is essential. Learning howbest to invest your cash will allow you to reap the rewards and offers greateropportunities for enjoying your leisure time once you reach the age ofretirement.THE CHESTNUTSRESIDENTIAL CARE HOME111 London Road, Coalville, Leicestershire LE67 3JETel: 01530 834 187LEARNING DISABILITIES CAREHOME FOR ADULTS UNDER THEAGE OF 65 YEARS• Various activity programmes includingholidays, regular excursions, activityclubs, day centre etc.• Major refurbishment by 2011• We encourage independent living &further education• Choice of 3 self-contained flats & 10 single bedrooms• Registered for 13 residents• Easy walking distance to town centre, home is located on a main road“Our aim is to provide a non-institutional homelyatmosphere. Your peace of mind is assured.”To make the most of your retirement, head to The 50+ Show at LondonOlympia from 15th to 16th July. To buy tickets or to discover more, log ontowww.50plusshow.comLending AHelping Handwww.thechestnutsresidentialhome.comDonate YourUnwanted Items &Fight Blood CancerOffering financial planning for individuals and businessowners across Leicestershire and into Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire,Santorini Financial Planning are winners of ourCertificate of Recognition for Financial Services 2011.With almost 15 years’ experience as a financial advisor, companyDirector Matthew Walne established Santorini at the endof 2010. Offering advice on all aspects of financial planning,Santorini provide truly independent financial advice. Theycan offer advice on retirement planning, investment planningand protection planning for your family or for your business.Matthew added: “We specialise in offering long-term advicefor long-term financial planning. Many clients actually getexcited when they can see what’s achievable, and it’s not allmoney-related; for many people, spending more time withtheir family and less time at work is a dream, a dream we canhelp them achieve.”On hearing the news of our Certificate of Recognition forFinancial Services 2011, Matthew said: “Thank you so muchAspire. It’s great to have such prestigious recognition so soonafter starting my own business. It’s a great boost and I hope ithighlights my services to more Aspire readers, in order for meCONTACT US NOWto help as many people as possible sort out their finances andplan for their future.”Santorini Financial Planning was nominated for this Certificateof Recognition by Sales Manager, Stacey Wragg; she said:“Matthew is not only a trained professional with a wealth ofexperience, he’s also totally focused on getting the best forhis client, no matter what that is; he doesn’t have his ownagenda, but simply wants to help all of his clients on the roadto financial security. I’m so pleased he’s been selected for ourCertificate of Recognition for Financial Services 2011!”Matthew recently made a visit to the Aspire offices to offerour Editor, Claire Tipton, tailored financial advice. She said:“Matthew was a breath of fresh air; as a successful businesswoman with an established business I’ve dealt with numerousfinancial advisors over the years and all seem to have offeredme ‘package’ advice, but Matthew really listened to where I amwith my career as well as my personal life. With a one-year-olddaughter and a husband to consider and plan for, my focus isdifferent now I’m in my mid-thirties than it was in my twenties;I was very career focused and looked out for number onethen, however since meeting my husband and having myTELEPHONEFAX0116 235 57330116 227 1372child, my priorities have changed and I want to achieve thatelusive work-life balance and make the money I’ve earnedwork for me in the long-term. I’d highly recommend that anyonewanting to plan for their future has a chat with Matthew,if only to see what their options are.”EMAILWEBinfo@santorini-fp.co.ukwww.santorini-fp.co.ukSantorini Financial Planning Ltd is an Appointed Representative of Financial Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services AuthorityFrom time to time we all need a little support, whether through illness or old age, but forsome the need for support, patience and understanding is lifelong, particularly for those withlearning disabilities.The term learning disability is applied to those who find it more difficult to learn andunderstand, and may struggle with communication. In England, it is estimated that 2% of thepopulation – 985,000 people – have a learning disability.There are a wealth of specialist education centres and fully equipped care homes thatare dedicated to helping those with learning disabilities enjoy a better quality of life.Encouraging residents to be active and enjoy a variety of hobbies and outings, as well asproviding 24-hour support, these specialist carers help those with disabilities lead happy andfulfilling lives.For some people, the care and support they require is due to illness. Every year in the UKmore than 300,000 people are newly diagnosed with cancer, 153,800 males and 152,300females according to statistics from the Office for National Statistics. Cancer is largely adisease associated with older people, just 25% of those diagnosed in 2008 were under 60and only 0.5% were children under the age of 15. However, the reality is that every day tenfamilies discover the heartbreaking news that their child has cancer.While we may feel helpless against these statistics and the devastating impact of cancer,there are many ways to show that you care about those whose lives are affected by cancer.Donating your time, money or goods to a local and worthwhile cause, such as a charity shop,who aim to assist those affected by cancer and help them through this difficult period oftheir lives, can help them deliver essential services.Charity shops have been hugely affected by our unstable economic climate, as more peoplebuy second-hand goods in order to save money, but less donate. So, why don’t you spendsome time this weekend clearing out your wardrobe, book shelves and attic, and donateeverything you can to help these shops carry out the vital work they are dedicated to.Leukaemia & LymphomaResearch is the onlyUK charity dedicated tofinding better treatmentsand cures for all bloodcancers, includingleukaemia, lymphomaand myeloma. However,for this vital research tocontinue, the charity mustraise £20million each year.The Lutterworth & District branch runtwo independent charity shops that raisemoney for Leukaemia & LymphomaResearch. The first shop was established13 years ago by Mrs Chris Ingham andMo Shearsby. Chris said: “More and morepeople are affected by cancer, and thework Leukaemia & Lymphoma Researchdo benefits all diseases, as everythingabout us is found in our blood. Leukaemia& Lymphoma Research has found curesand treatments for a number of things,but we won’t retire until there’s a cure forblood cancers.”After ten years, the original Lutterworth &District branch outgrew its space on thecorner of Bank Street and Church Street,so the shop moved to its current premiseson Station Road. However, such is thedemand for pre-loved items that benefitcharity, the shop has already expanded tooccupy more space and8 months ago, a secondshop opened on BellStreet.Chris said: “The BellStreet shop catersspecifically for furniture,books and bric-a-brac,whereas the StationRoad shop is more of a traditionalcharity shop with clothes, bedding andaccessories for sale. We ALWAYS needmore donations, so if there are anyAspire readers that want to help, theycan donate unwanted items to us, even ifthey’re ripped or torn.”Both Lutterworth & District Leukaemia& Lymphoma Research shops are realsuccess stories, which is why Aspireawarded them our Certificate ofRecognition for Charity of the Year2011.Both shops are open Monday toSaturday from 9am until 5pm33a Station Road, rear of car park,Lutterworth LE17 4APTel: 01455 5566491 Bell Street, Lutterworth LE17 4DWTel: 01455 553094To find out more about Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research,visit www.beatbloodcancers.org18 ASPIREASPIRE 19