Interview - Liz Addy: Age no barrier for a mother at 52

But Liz Addy maintains it is the best thing she has done in her very adventurous life – and she has not ruled out having more.

And taking one look at Liz and her partner Dave White's idyllic lifestyle and contented twins, now nearly 10 months old, it is difficult to criticise their decision.

The family live on a 600-acre sheep farm in a remote yet beautiful part of the Yorkshire Dales near Horton in Ribblesdale.

During the recent snow the farm was virtually cut off, which caused super active Liz some frustration.

"I like to get out and about," says Liz, who went back to work as an optician in nearby Giggleswick one-and-a-half days a week when the twins were six months old.

Before meeting Dave, now 47, Liz had lived a very adventurous lifestyle. She spent her holidays paragliding in Nepal, exploring the Congo as a VisionAid volunteer and hang-gliding into thunderstorms.

But possibly her greatest adventure was to try for a child in her 50s.

Liz says she had never knowingly put off having children, she had just never met the right man. Then eight years ago she met Dave through mutual friends and four years later they decided to try for

a family.

She consulted her GP who said she could see no reason why Liz couldn't have a baby and after a series of hormone injections to boost her fertility, she fell pregnant.

She believes her ease in conceiving and uneventful pregnancy were down to her fitness; she looks 10 younger than her 52 years and was back in her size 10 jeans just weeks after giving birth. When the twins were only a couple of months old she took them on their first "hike" around the Dales where she is a familiar figure pushing her all-terrain double-buggy through brooks and streams.

"I sat in the hospital when I was pregnant looking at people in their 20s who were over-weight and smoking and I thought they are going to have problems. You just never know what is going to happen to you; people get ill and die at any age. I get cross when people make judgments and assumptions about someone's ability because of their age. I don't see why people shouldn't be given the chance to have a child whatever their age or disability."

Liz is not keen to be drawn into the debate about fertility treatment for older women which has surfaced again this week with the news that 59-year -old Susan Tollefsen has been offered fertility treatment by a British clinic.

Susan already has one-year-old Freya after treatment in Russia. At the moment, most private clinics observe a guideline prohibiting treatment for women over 50, while the NHS has a cut-off point of 39.

"I don't see why there should be a cut-off point just because of age," says Liz. "We know we are very lucky. I don't know whether we would have gone down the IVF route or not. We didn't look that far ahead; we just took it one thing at a time. However, if we hadn't been able to have children, I think we would have accepted it.

"You do have to think about the children. I do think there comes a time when you have to think that you are really a bit too old to have them."

Liz says being an older mum has helped her have more patience and also brings her life experiences into play.

"I think you learn not to panic in any situation, which maybe some younger mums do."

She admits that it is hard work at times, but her main problems are the logistics of having baby twins, regardless of her age.

"I love to get out and about and the hardest thing is taking the babies out. I can only go where the buggy can go; I can't go over stiles or anything like that if I am on my own. My dad laughs that my wings have been clipped, but it isn't for long," says Liz, who still aims to wing walk one day and is planning to take the twins skiing when they are old enough.

Both babies slept through the night from 13 weeks and both have a very cheery disposition and happily sit playing with their toys together.

Liz puts the success down to routine. Both are "Gina Ford" babies, adhering to a strict eating and sleeping routine.

"We are very lucky that they are very good babies," she says. Sophie and Thomas were born five weeks early by Caesarean section after Liz's waters broke three days after her 52nd birthday.

They spent the first two weeks of their life in the special care baby unit at Airedale Hospital, Sophie weighing 4lb 8oz and Thomas 4lb.

"Someone had bought me the Contented Little Baby Book by Gina Ford and when I read it I realised that that was what we were doing anyway. They really seem to respond well to the routine."

Liz says she has never had any negative reaction to becoming a mum in her 50s.

"Everyone has been very supportive," she says.

As for Dave, he seems to take the whole thing in his stride.

"I am one of five and my mum was 47 when she had me so I cannot see the problem."