Press release / Op-Ed

The rising focus on 50+ women is wonderful, but we need an authentic, older male voice on getting older...

69-year-old author proves it's never too late

"It is never too late to be what you might have been." -- George Eliot

• There are now 11.4 million people aged 65 or over in the UK, 3 million of those are aged 80 or over.

• More than one-third of the UK population is aged 50 or over.

• 3.5 million of 65+ live alone. Nearly 70% of these are women.

The topic of getting older is never far from the press; the feeling of becoming invisible at 50, anti-ageing beauty advice, inspirational tips for flourishing careers and relationships later in life. Pretty much all the ageing advice out there is written/created by womenforwomen.

As a woman, this is not a problem for me personally, but as a daughter of a fabulous man in his early 60s, and a business woman whose client list includes a decent share of men in their autumn years, I recognise there's not only a gap in the market for an older male perspective but a need for one. I'm not talking about football commentary - there's plenty on that - or business advice - but truly genuine, authentic voices representing the reality about what it's like to be a man in his 60s to 90s today.

I* would like to put forward John Uttley, author of Where's Sailor Jack? (he turns 70 in two months) because he tells it like it is with an authentic and reflective poignancy that I fail to read in many other ‘senior' columns.

This isn't a ‘them versus us thing', or a gender debate, it's about listening to, and learning from, the different experiences of different people. Men may not be judged on their appearance as they get older, as much as women, but they too experience aches and pains, changes in life circumstances; their children fly the nest, they discover new interests and fall out of love with their partner/career/home just like women.
 

Blogging does not have an age limit

John's debut novel has struck a chord with the booming ‘baby boomer' market. His ascending popularity on social media, and fans of his fiction, have helped put this 69-year-old man on the radar of the media. Hisblogposts are growing in popularity and hits, the most well read articles are those concerning his views on life: family, business, and his latest post:ageing. His views recently captured the attention of The Wireless Radio (from Age UK):http://www.thewirelessradio.com/listen-again/?filterBy=&pg=2.

About John Uttley

John Uttley, 69, was born in Lancashire and now lives just outside Londonwith his wife and their dog. Where's Sailor Jack? is his first novel. Not fancying a memoir, or his family's story, John instead recorded his Lancastrian sense of humour and documented a tumultuous period of British history through fiction. History John just happened to live through.

In the almost 70 years of his life, he's witnessed the sorts of ups and downs suffered by the characters in Where's Sailor Jack? but they and the storyline are entirely fictitious. "It's a family saga, and in my life I've been blessed in that."

Full author biography:https://literallypublicrelations.wordpress.com/2015/06/29/introducing-john-uttley-author-of-wheres-sailor-jack/

Media Notes

For more information please contact Helen Lewis*, Director at Literally PR Ltd:helenlewis@literallypr.com.

John Uttley is available for interview, editorial commission and quotes. He's also happy to answer any questions about his journey from high-flying businessman to retired author & blogger extraordinaire! Copies of Where's Sailor Jack? can be requested for review, competition prizes etc. Please get in touch with Literally PR directly to arrange.