About Age UK - Help The Aged & Age ConcernLike many people, my experience of an elderly relative's final months was eye-opening - sad, surprising, and in many parts shocking. That the elderly, in their final years, are routinely treated significantly worse than younger people in our society in terms of opportunities for health and social support, seems to be taken for granted.
Age UK, made up of Help the Aged and Age Concern, are vital for our country and our society, and through their hard work help to rebalance the bias against the elderly - the less influential and more vulnerable members of our society.
They help people enjoy a better later life by providing life-enhancing services and vital support.
They develop products that are specifically designed for people in later life.
They provide advice and information through their helplines, publications and online.
They fund pioneering research into all aspects of getting older.
A donation to Age UK can: - Help an older person enjoy life again
- Help an older person feel safe and secure in their own home
- Help to prevent an older person from being abused
For further information, please visit
AgeUK.org or
KirkwoodCare.comTo make a real difference to people's lives, please dig deep and donate generously.Barefoot RunningIt's important to enjoy what you do, and to be able to continue to do what you enjoy, and for me, running barefoot allows exactly that.
Long before we invented polyurethane and neoprene, our ancestors were chasing food barefoot across the hard-baked African savanna. A couple of million years later, many people think they need foam mattresses with air bubbles, gel and microchips to get from A to B. In actual fact, there is now research showing that modern running shoes don't reduce injury and actually increase joint impact!
And running shoes take away so many pleasures! Our feet have as many nerve endings as anywhere else in our bodies. The feeling of being barefoot is one of life's greatest - the textures of the earth, the splashing through puddles and the squidging mud between the toes are incomparable experiences.
In my search to reduce my running injuries, I was inspired 3 years ago to run barefoot by the stories of Barefoot Ted and his marathons. Since then, my injuries have dissipated, my balance and flexibility have improved and my love of running has gone through the roof. My technique is still far from perfect, so 26.2 miles in April 2010 will be a big hairy goal I'm delighted to be able to aim for.
For further info on barefoot running, have a look at:BarefootTedBarefoot Kenbob's
Runningbarefoot.orgBorntorun.orgMany thanks for donating generously!