Never Too Old - Reg's story told in his own words

First the learning years, then the working years, then retirement and the Third Age, the Freedom Age, freedom to spend any or every day doing things which were previously restricted to weekends and tired evenings. Don't throw that freedom away. Look for objectives which encourage active use of your body and mind. Not everyone will find the same objectives as I did, but this is how they worked out, and continue to work out, for me.

At first I used my Third Age to extend into full time my previously spare time activities. These were reading and writing poetry, playing and composing piano music and songs, and towing my caravan over large areas of Britain and the continent. Sadly, all that ended when my wife died, leaving me emotionally drained and struggling to cope with living alone after 49 years of happy married life.

Eventually I realised that something had to be done about the physical fitness that was slipping away from me, so I started experimenting with jogging. Within two months I stretched 50 yards slow jogging into two miles continuous running, which then became obsessive. So I joined the Wolverhampton Road Runners Club, where my 77 years of age attracted so much interest and help that five months later I was able to run and finish the Wolverhampton Marathon (just over 26 miles). That started the series of objectives that I can only describe as my Fourth Age.

Reg in his later years.

One of my most rewarding runs was relaying with my son Vic the 100 miles from Wolverhampton to my father's home village in North Wales in 3 days, carrying greetings from the Mayor of Wolverhampton to the Mayor of Colwyn.

Another was Relaying with Vic the 52 miles from the Royal Hospital to the summit of the Wrekin (1350 feet) and back, in 1 day, which provided the Hospital with computer equipment valued at £7,500.

Another highlight was running on my 80th birthday from Llanberis to the summit of Snowdon (3,400 feet) and back (10 miles).

An 84-mile Relay with members of my Club, round and round the West Park, on my 84th birthday, proved to be the last of my organised events, but I kept fit by walking 10 to 12 miles every week. That enabled me to pick up a Bronze Medal for walking the last 15 miles of the S.T.A.R.T. London to Brighton Charity Walk as recently as May of this year.

Through all this, I have had to cope with two health problems, Asthma and Arthritis, both kept under reasonable control by modern medicines and by the continuous outdoor exercise involved in training for running and walking events, but still subject to periods of distress from time to time. Perhaps that has been the motivation for my using the publicity that resulted from my running (TV, Radio and the Press), to attract many thousands of pounds for Charities which promote and support Research and Treatment of various Health Problems.

So when I was persuaded to produce a booklet of my Poems (titled "BROKEN GLASS"), it seemed logical to include in the selling price a donation to our best-loved local Charity, the Compton Hospice.