Life Begins at 60!

Who needs slippers and pipes when there are so many exciting and beneficial things you can do with your leisure time? If you're looking to make a new start, fill up some free time or simply want to start your retirement years as you mean to go on, read on as Ed Reed discovers that 60 is the new 30..

Important milestones happen at all stages in our lives. Approaching the end of a decade is always a chance to look back in a haze of nostalgia whether reaching 40, 60 or 70.

We may gaze into the past with fondness or regret, but all of us make a promise to try that little bit harder at life over the coming decade - and perhaps embark on all those projects, dreams and activities we should have started years ago. Ambitions, of course, change as we get older. A survey quizzing nine-year-olds about their longed-for achievements before reaching the grand age of 10 discovered they wanted to roll down grassy banks, collect frogspawn and make perfume from flower petals. Twenty-something men aspire to having accidents needing hospital treatment, taking weekend breaks more than 1,000 miles from home or getting lost in a foreign country before they reach the big 3-0.

So where does that leave those approaching 60? Do they have to be any more sedate? I've put together my own personal selection from the myriad of opportunities ready and waiting out there, if we only have the nerve. You don't have to spend thousands of pounds travelling to the North Pole to have a life-changing travel experience nor do you need to devote years of your life to learn a musical instrument to reach cultural nirvana. A new pastime, hobby, experience or evening class can fit easily into your life. All you have to do is stop thinking about all those good intentions and actually take the plunge...

Get connected
Find a long-lost friend Your schooldays were probably some of the happiest times of your life. If you've lost touch with a former best friend and want to catch up then it may be easier than you think. List everything you already know about them. Like their parents' phone number, old address and any brothers or sisters you know about. Phone books are a great resource, particularly if your friend had an unusual name.

Tracing and finding an old pal could prove to be really exciting as you play private investigator! Log onto www.bt.com./phonenetuk for the UK's online telephone directory.

Make friends with your neighbours
One in five people questioned in a UK survey said they hated the people living nearby and classed them as "neighbours from hell". As well as that, one in 20 admitted they did not know who their neighbours were, while one in six saw them only in passing. Being 'considerate' is the way to make good neighbours, according to The National Neighbourhood Watch Association. Every June, the Association challenges people to do a good deed for those living nearby.

But why wait until next summer? Visit www.neighbourhoodwatch.net to find out how you can become a neighbour from heaven rather than hell.

Take a thrill trip
Plunge down a mountain A 90mph slide on a luge won't suit everybody and indeed may be more popular with those with a near-death wish - but this kind of exhilaration works wonders for banishing the doldrums, you'll never have felt so alive! The Cresta Run in St Mortitz usually opens two or three days before Christmas right through until the end of February. It is a private club, although male non-members are welcome. Men can apply for temporary membership to ride in the early mornings on selected days and this entitles them to up to five rides. Visit www.cresta-run.com for more information.

Daring ladies should also head for the mountains, as skiing is proving increasingly popular, even for beginners, in the 60-something age group. Check out your nearest artificial ski slope (in the phone book) for some daytime lesson deals usually full of fellow retirees and you won't look back.

Ride a great train journey
Journey across the Alps, or travel through Paris, Venice, Prague and Istanbul on the most romantic and luxurious train in the world. The popular Venice-Prague-Paris- London journey costs more than £2,500 and is a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience, bursting with the nostalgia of a golden era. Start saving now, you are definitely worth it.

You can find out all about the trips on offer and detailed prices at www.orient-express.com or by calling 0845 077 2222.

Go under the sea
Jules' Undersea Lodge at Key Largo in Florida is the world's most famous underwater hotel. Visitors reach their rooms with a quick scuba dive! Originally a marine research facility, the lodge is now a full service hotel featuring private bedrooms. You don't have to be a qualified scuba dive to get down there as they will instruct you and lead you to the 'resort'. Each has a huge four-foot porthole through which visitors can watch marine life float gently by, views don't get much better than that. To sleep with the fishes log on to www.jul.com or call 00 305 451 2353.

You can also experience the joys of the deep a bit closer to home, in fact taking up scuba diving, if you are fit and well, is an excellent way to meet people and find travel buddies. It will literally open up a whole new world for you, one that's peaceful and largely unspoilt.

To find your nearest instruction class, contact the British Sub Aqua Club by visiting www.bsac.com or by calling 0151 350 6200.

Live and learn
Become a mature student The Open University (OU) is the United Kingdom's only university dedicated to distance learning and for most courses there are no previous qualifications required to study and no upper age limit. The OU has about 150,000 undergraduate and more than 30,000 postgraduate students. Virtually all the students are studying part-time.

The University itself is ranked among the top UK universities for the quality of its teaching. To embark on a new phase of education visit www.open.ac.uk or call 01908 274066.

Join an evening class
Whether you want to pick up life skills, or simply learn for its own sake, evening classes may help you gain fulfilment and make new friends. They don't have to be too mentally taxing either, with arts and crafts allowing you to get messy and creative - look out for council subsidised courses that aren't too pricey and don't forget to find out if you are entitled to any help with course fees. Visit www.hotcourses.com or call your Local Education Authority for a list of colleges and learning centres near you, they should each be able to send you a prospectus.

Lend a hand
Volunteer Reading Help (VRH) is a national charity that helps disadvantaged children develop a love of reading. The charity recruits and trains volunteers to work with children aged between six and 11 who need extra support when learning to read. Although volunteers work in schools, they stay outside the classroom and VRH is always looking for new venues from which to deliver and reach more needy children. To help children develop their reading skills go to www.vrh.org.uk or call 020 7729 4087.

This year is the Year of the Volunteer so there has never been a better time to find out how you can help others. Visit www.yearofthevolunteer.org, call 0845 456 1668 or watch The Community Channel on Sky 585, Telewest 233, ntl 14 and Freeview 46. Information is also available on BBC2 Ceefax page 650.