A cross party care summit on social care reform has been held by Age Concern and Help the Aged - bringing together Secretary of State for Health, Andy Burnham MP, and Shadow Secretaries Andrew Lansley MP and Norman Lamb MP. The aim was to provide a neutral platform for the main political parties to debate how the current social care and support system could be improved - and while there was consensus on the challenges being faced, there was less harmony on possible funding solutions.

The unprecedented political focus on how to fund care for older people shows no sign of diminishing, with a White Paper on care expected this month.

 According to Wikipedia, Britt Ekland is ‘a Swedish actress long resident in the United Kingdom, best known for her roles as a Bond girl in The Man with the Golden Gun, and in the British cult horror film The Wicker Man, as well as her marriage to actor Peter Sellers and her high-profile social life’.

Mature Times editor Tony Watts talks to her – and discovers that there is a much bigger story to tell, including the reasons behind her passionate support of Alzheimer’s sufferers and their carers.

I write this, not from my Suffolk home but sitting at my desk on board ship -the Regent Mariner – and we are currently approaching what is often described as the world’s southernmost city.  At 55 degrees south, Ushuaia in Argentina makes this claim although, for many years, the Chilean town of Puerto Williams has disputed this.

Retired people form the country’s fastest growing demographic group and older households will represent half of all household growth between now and 2026 - making it important that the development, construction and care industries recognise this opportunity.

It is well known that girls are no longer the weaker sex academically – if they ever were. They have overtaken boys at school and are more likely to go on to university and gain a degree.

But new research from the Institute of Education, University of London, suggests that female superiority does not end there. At age 50, a woman’s memory is better than a man’s, it seems.

If you’re among a growing band of consumers who want to support British farmers and are actively trying to cut down on your food miles and carbon footprint, then carrots should be top of your shopping list. And, aside from doing your bit to help in the battle to reduce climate change and support British farmers and the economy, buying seasonal British produce just makes good sense if you want fresh, great tasting, reasonably priced food.