Lust for life - life begins at the Retirement Village...

Retirement village

By next year there'll be more people drawing a pension in the East Midlands than there are children under 16.

One in four people who live here are over 55, and by 2021 that figure will be it will be one in three, according to National Statistics.

Yet there's a huge shortage of quality housing for older people.

To help fill the gap a charitable trust called Extracare is building its biggest ever retirement village in Clifton, Nottingham at a cost of £49 million.

Two hundred and two apartments and 93 bungalows will be built around country club style facilities including a restaurant, fitness centre with spa pool, craft rooms and a well being area.

Fans say these communities fill a big gap in the market; critics worry they'll widen the gulf between young and old.

Lifestyle choices

To investigate, we asked two couples from Clifton to decide whether the retirement village would work for them.

Flo (74) and Norman Knight (76) don't want to leave Clifton but would like more of a social life.

Joan (74) and John Ball (82) are looking for activities on tap.

Both couples feel older people have a lot to offer.

"They stereotype us and they discriminate against us.

"People seem to think that because you've gone grey, you've lost your brain as well," John told us.

"Older people need to feel valued. We want more out of life as we get older, not less, more!"

The Extracare charitable trust has built a reputation for keeping older people active and independent.

Our couples visited the newly opened Beacon Park village in Lichfield.

Here residents help run the bar, shop and restaurant as well as enjoying the IT, fitness and craft facilities.

Everyone has their own apartment with their own front door but care and support is available 24 hours a day.

"Everyone seems so happy and friendly," said Flo.

"Independence and friendship is what we all want and that's what they seem to have here."

Joan and John asked about costs.

Manager Jenny Falconer told them a lot of people think the villages are for the wealthy, but half of the apartments are for rent and many residents have few resources and rely on benefits to help them meet costs.

Purpose built retirement communities started in the States and are now springing up in countries across the world.

And they have their critics.

Anna Minton from the thinktank Demos says it's a shame older people want to live in segregated communities:

"Surely we should be seeking to build balanced communities that reflect society at large."

But Karen Croucher from the Centre for Housing Policy at the University of York says her research shows residents feel more secure in this environment and are more likely to try new activities:

"[These villages] are not utopia but they offer older people a choice, an alternative, and there aren't that many once you get older so on the whole I think they're a good thing."

Links relating to this story:

• ExtraCare
• University of York - Centre for Housing Policy
• DEMOS

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Overloaded limos

A night to remember or a risky ride?

These days limos aren't just for 'A' list celebrities.

For a few hundred pounds an hour, anyone can hire them and there's been an explosion in the number of companies offering the chance to ride like the celebrities.

But when does a night to remember become one you'll never forget, for all the wrong reasons?

Our Inside Out investigation reveals that some operators are routinely breaking the law and risking the lives of their passengers.

Safe seating?

Reporter Anya Sitaram discovered that even though many limos can comfortably seat 12 people, the law is very clear - they can only take eight.

There are good reasons for this.

Chief Inspector Paul Berry from Derbyshire Police told us that any vehicle which takes more than eight passengers must have a public service vehicle licence and meet strict criteria.

"Because most limos are imported from abroad 99.9 per cent of them would never meet the safety criteria.

"Companies that overload their limos are risking lives."

Yet when our researchers called up a variety of limo hire companies, we found nearly one in five appeared perfectly prepared to take more than eight passengers.

And when we booked a limo for a night out, we were able to film as we loaded it with twelve people with no objections from the driver.

We unloaded to a safe level after just a short journey.

The Department of Transport told us they're very concerned that so many companies are routinely breaking the law, and they expect to issue new guidelines on licensing limousines very soon.

Links relating to this story:

• Derbyshire Police
• Department of Transport
• Local Government Association
• National Limousine Association

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites

Macho to moisturise

How do you rate in the male beauty stakes?

Take our beauty quiz

Male model or macho male - which are you?

Sales of male beauty products have soared in recent years and Nottingham based Boots is tapping into a growing market.

Our reporter Louise Brady discovered the market is growing because increasing numbers of men are worried about looking good and the effects of ageing.

Simon McCandlish who looks after the male grooming range at Boots told us that men are fast catching up with women in the time they spend in the bathroom.

"On average men are spending £200-£300 a year on grooming products. But some will spend far more."

Louise caught up with one of them, 33-year-old Michael Brailsford who's perfectly prepared to fork out hundreds of pounds for injections of botulinum toxin to paralyze the wrinkles in his forehead.

And she met former firefighter turned model Darren Hall who's has regular facials at his local beauty salon.

Both men stressed that it's all about personal confidence and looking your best.

Then Louise decided to try an Inside Out experiment.

She pounced on refuse collector John Staley who by his own admission would never buy moisturiser let alone visit a beauty salon.

Louise persuaded John to indulge in a pampering session including a facial and manicure and much to his surprise he became a total convert.

"I really didn't think it was for me - but I feel really good," John told us.

"Think I might be back!"

Links relating to this story:

• BBC Inside Out - Male Beauty Quiz

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites