The New Frontier: Making a difference in later life

The New Frontier, from award-winning author Robin Lloyd-Jones, is a series of interviews with remarkable people over 70, all of them nominated for the annual Times-Sternberg award.The New Frontier documents the impact of different influences over their lives and provides readers with a unique viewpoint on how important it is that we make, and are seen to make, a valuable contribution to society at all ages, especially older age.

Ranging from Dame Esther Rantzen, and her work in setting up Silverline, a helpline for the elderly, to John Lubbock, the founder of the Orchestra of St. John's, which tours the country providing music to families and children living with autism, the interviews confirm the importance of taking a positive view of old age and its possibilities, both for the individual and their community.

As the proportion of people over 65 in the UK increases, a better understanding of what underpins an active later life is becoming more important - to all of us.

The Rt. Hon. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath PC, OBE says, ‘The huge contribution that older people make to society is so well exampled in this excellent book. Each section is testimony to the ingenuity, and sheer determination of extraordinary people to contribute to society. It gives the lie to any idea that the older generations do not give back to society.’

Baroness Sally Greengross OBE adds, ‘I welcome The New Frontier: Making a Difference in Later Life as a valuable supplement to and illustration of aspects of the work being done by the New Dynamics of Ageing (NDA) Programme, the most ambitious research programme on ageing ever undertaken in the UK.’

Interviewees in The New Frontier:
Rtd. Air Commodore Charles Clarke OB
David Pearson
Sylvia Holder
Zdenka Fantlova
Kenneth Baker, Lord Baker of Dorking
Mavis Bamber
Dame Esther Rantzen OBE, CBE, DBE
Janet Speight
Lawrence Coe
Alice Sluckin OBE
Phoebe Caldwell
Patricia Bernie
Peter Harper KCSG, FCA, Dlitt
John Beavis
Sylvia Gilbert
John Robinson CBE
Dr Neville Brown
John Lubbock OBE