Still working and still enjoying it aged 70

3:25pm Wednesday 4th October 2006

BRIAN Coates could have been part of the "lost generation" of people who leave the world of work on reaching 65 only to stay at home twiddling their thumbs.

But after reluctantly leaving his job as an office manager, Brian joined a temping agency which signed him up with York-based CPP for three months - and he is still there five years later.

"I have no plans to retire so perhaps I'll be here for a long time," said the 70-year-old, from York, who admitted his younger colleagues "keep me on my toes and keep me young at heart".

Under new age discrimination laws it is illegal to force people to retire below the age of 65 and staff also have the right to ask to work beyond normal retirement age.

Fears have been raised that many employers are unprepared for the regulations but CPP, at Holgate Park, has operated a "no age limit" policy for many years.

Brian, one of the older members of the call centre team, admits: "I couldn't stand retirement.

"I'd managed an office in York and then it got taken over. The new owners said it was introducing compulsory retirement at 60, but I was already 62. They allowed me to stay until I was 65."

He then did temping work as an office manager until his post was made permanent and he was considered too old to apply.

"When I retired I used to sit in front of the TV and fall asleep and I thought this is a complete waste of time'."

He now works shifts of four days on and three days off at CPP, enabling him to take off in his mobile home for days at a time.

"I've always lived an active life, always enjoyed working. I also enjoy meeting people.

"Working at CPP is all about assisting people, so I enjoy the work when they call up having lost their wallets - problems they think are insurmountable and I sort out for them. It's also nice helping people younger than me to prove older people are still useful.

"Sometimes older customers want to speak to someone their own age. Older customers might, for example, get a bit confused over all the forms they have to fill in, but I think they feel less exposed when they hear empathy from someone their own age.

"It's a personal thing. If you're like me who on retirement found it difficult to occupy your time and like meeting people and being active then it's work is a good thing to do."