AT THE MOVIES... With Nicky Pender

Owner of Pilates with Nicky Pender

After 20 years working in a medical education charity, Nicky took “a huge leap of faith” and went for early retirement at 50 in 2015. She set up her own business teaching Pilates, offering (mostly) women over 50 a safe space to exercise. Her love affair with Pilates started after a fall in the snow left her with a fracture to the spine and a damaged coccyx.

She said: “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is my all-time favourite film,” says Nicky. “It's the first film I remember watching as a child.

I remember being incredibly scared of the Child Catcher (who wasn't?) and intrigued by all of Caractacus Potts' madcap inventions.”

“I loved and still do love the songs and the dance routines in the movie but as an adult understand the messages about childlessness, single parenting and the class system .

“I guess Potts' perseverance with his inventions resonates with me in setting up my small business. Sometimes you have to go with your gut. Being my own boss has given me so much personal freedom and teaching Pilates has introduced me to many lovely people. I wish I'd made the move years earlier.

“The film genre I enjoy most is courtroom dramas, with films like ‘Jagged Edge' and ‘A Few Good Men' firm favourites. I love courtroom dramas because there is always plenty of to-ing and fro-ing between prosecution and defence, trading insults and generally a juicy secret pulled out of the hat at the last minute to swing the case one way or another. My love of film in general comes from my Mum - she loved the cinema and we went regularly when I was young and probably even more so when I was an adult.”

“Despite my love of film, I've never seen ‘The Sound of Music' (not even on Christmas telly!) or any of the Star Wars films, nor do I intend to!”

Linsay Given Black