BOTHER WITH BUS ROUTE
THE prospect of the public walking along an unlit Old Town busway in a search to find an Arriva 110 bus is frightening but may not be that far off.
The latest update from Arriva announces the 110 bus route will now be extended to Castlefields and Astmoor.
However just two bus stops before the Old Town bus station the bus will turn off the busway at Edison Road and onto the Mersey Gateway Bridge avoiding the Old Town.
To continue to the Old Town would take five extra minutes each way according to Arriva’s own timetable, surely not too big a price to for the benefit this change would bring to the public. revealed that just over two in five (42%) drivers aged 70 and over in the North West say they would feel like they’d lost part of their identity if they were not able to drive and for almost nine in 10 (89%) older drivers it would mean a loss of independence.
The survey was commissioned to promote our new, free advice guide, Behind The Wheel: Tips For Safe And Confident Driving In Later Life. The guide is full of tips to help support older drivers, and provides information on alternatives if they decide to stop driving.
It is accompanied by online information for the families of older drivers around how to start difficult conversations about driving.
The survey showed that, for many older people in the North West, being able to drive means so much more than just being able to get out-andabout. Whether it’s keeping in touch with family and friends or continuing to do their shopping, driving can help maintain a sense of independence, and identity too.
There are almost five million people over the age of 70 who hold licences in the UK, with more than 100,000 of those over the age of 90. There are many benefits to continuing to drive into older age and, as long as they remain safe, older people should be able to continue driving for as long as they want to.
It’s also vital that people who are no longer able to drive have access to information on the various options available for getting around without a car. Independent Age is one of the two charities who provided contributors for ITV’s 100-year-old Driving School, which airs at 9pm on Tuesdays from September 12-16.
Independent Age representatives attended the three regional hubs to talk to older drivers and their families participating in the programme about their experiences of driving, in research for the Behind The Wheel advice guide. Behind The Wheel is completely free to order and download from www.independentage.org/ driving-guide or can be ordered by calling 0800 319 6789.
To make a donation or find out more about how you can support the work of Independent Age and help older people stay independent, please visit www.independentage.org for my country once more.
For us, the Invictus Games means more than simply competing for glory – it’s the pinnacle of a long journey of recovery and rehabilitation. My journey began in 1996, when in a split second, my life changed forever.
A tractor turned into my path while I was riding my motorbike, the trailer it was towing rolled over my chest and I was left with catastrophic injuries.
I was paralysed from the chest down.
I was medically discharged from the RAF and at my lowest point, the RAF Benevolent Fund stepped in to provide furniture and funding for resettlement training.
As a previously fit and active member of the RAF Regiment, my injuries were devastating.
But I found a positive by focusing my recovery around sport, and took up hand cycling, indoor rowing and wheelchair rugby.
Again the RAF Benevolent Fund was there for me, this time helping to buy a racing hand cycle which allowed me to race competitively.
So when you support the brave men and women who will compete at this year’s Invictus Games, cheer for all those standing behind us.
Our families and supporters like the RAF Benevolent Fund and other military charities, without whom this would not be possible.