At 57, I’ve embarked on a new career as a Blue Badge Tourist Guide

Two years ago I decided it was time to challenge the old grey matter, shake off the mental cobwebs, and throw myself back into learning, something I hadn’t done since I started at St Andrews University 36 years ago.

I applied to become a Blue Badge Tourist Guide in London, a move that combined my love of history, a desire to better appreciate the city I’ve lived in for three decades, and the hope of adding new strings to my professional bow.

Our trainee group of 32 was a wonderfully mixed crew of all ages, hailing from China, Brazil, Portugal, Turkey and Ukraine, not to mention Kent, Wales and Cumbria, and of course London, and ranged from taxi drivers and a university lecturer to a racecourse manager and a retired teacher.