Too old at 70

HAVING retired and time on my hands and an interest in canals I thought I would volunteer as a lock keeper, writes Jeffrey Hands.

I rang up and answered questions, but then met a dead stop when told that at 71 years of age I was too old to be a volunteer lock keeper.

Offered other opportunities

I admit, I wasn't just discarded, as I was offered other 'volunteering opportunities', as they put it, helping out at such as museums, but not as a lock keeper, and as this is all I was interested in I gave it up as a bad job.

But I would like to say that at 71 I am very fit, having kept myself that way and would find opening and closing the gates no problem at all, but realise that some at that age may not be, but instead of a strict age cut-off there should be some sort of appraisal at an actual lock to see if a person is capable, as after all there are those below 70 that have let themselves go to seed and would not be at all capable.

But surely at my sort of age, after just retiring, is when people would want something to do like lock keeping and meeting new people, for I can't see the younger ones of today showing much interest.