Four fabulous Yorkshire women launch Find Your Midlife Magic event at Goldsborough Hall

Find Your Mid-Life Magic is the name of a special one-day event created, organised and fronted by mature model and pro-age ambassador Annie Stirk, body confidence advocate and model Rachel Peru, model, coach and event organiser Bernadette Gledhill, and journalist and TV presenter Christine Talbot. It all happens in October this year and aims to put navigating the middle years at the top of the agenda, covering physical and mental health issues, style and body image, menopause, changing skin and hair, plus coping with caring responsibilities and new life patterns.

The idea sprang from coffee meet-ups between the four friends, when they began to realise that they were all looking for new ways to get the most out of life. Between them, they span the decades from 50s to 70s, so have a wealth of experience to draw on. Now they plan to share their insight, alongside that of special guests, before an audience gathered in the beautiful and intimate surroundings of Goldsborough Hall, near Knaresborough.

“We thought there was a germ of an idea, with all our different skills,” says Christine, who presented ITV Calendar for 20 years until she left in June 2021 to freelance.

Annie, who had a long career in TV and PR before becoming a model at 70, says: “It’s a funny time. Lots of women reach mid-life and they might be looking after elderly parents, still have kids at home or the kids have come back, or they might have retired, but often they have reached a point where they are thinking, do you know what? There might be something else out there?”

Bernadette, who runs her own events, model and confidence training company based in Huddersfield, says: “Style-wise, so many people say, where do I buy, how do I shop, what do I do about my hair and make-up? They feel as though they are living in the past.”

Rachel became a silver curve model at 46 and now travels the UK and the world, working with leading fashion brands. She also has her own podcast called Out of the Bubble. She hopes the event will help women navigate what can be a difficult time. “And meet new people,” she says. “because often your friendship group changes when you get to our age.”

Christine says: “Years ago, women, when they did reach that mid-life period, were older in their mindset and did think, well, now it’s time to put my feet up or become invisible. It’s very different now.”

For Bernadette, the process of planning the day has been personally helpful at what is a particularly sad and difficult time in her life. “Midlife throws so many things at us, but I was absolutely heartbroken and totally unprepared last year when I Iost my wonderful husband to cancer in less than three weeks after diagnosis,” she says. “Robert knew all about the planning of this very special day and was so supportive. I know that he would be so proud to be reading this feature today to see that it had come to fruition with my amazing friends, Annie, Christine and Rachel.”

At the event, the fabulous four women will be joined by guest speakers including award-winning actor and writer Gaynor Faye, whose mother Kay Mellor also died last year. She will be sharing with Christine how she is navigating through midlife as a working mother and daughter.

Dr Jane Gilbert, a qualified doctor who works as a health and wellbeing writer and presenter, will talk about the challenges of the menopause and other midlife health issues, and celebrity life coach and motivational speaker Lisa Clifford will tell how she learned to be her own ‘unstoppable self’.

Celebrity hair stylist Andrew Barton will bring expert tips and carry out transformative makeovers (see the competition below), alongside Bernadette, who will be providing style and fashion advice with her trademark flair, plus support from the styling and make-up teams at John Lewis Leeds.

When it comes to style, ditching the rules is Rachel’s No 1 tip. For example, if you want to keep your hair long, keep it. “We are all conditioned to have certain rules to do with our age,” she says. “I think we should be able to wear what we want and that makes us feel good.”

Bernadette agrees. “Age is no limit,” she says. “You really can break barriers. ‘Mutton dressed as lamb’ is a horrible thing that people used to say.”

Annie adds: “Part of finding your mid-life magic is being able to say, what the hell - I’m going to wear what I want to wear, when I like, how I like. Don’t be worried about anyone who might be whispering about you, saying ‘who does she think she is?’.”

Christine: “After years of wearing the newsreader uniform, I really enjoy the freedom of being able to wear the kinds of clothes I probably could never wear on television. Ditching the rules is a new thing for me because I was very much having to conform to what was expected and what worked on TV.

“Your skin and hair colour changes. And, as I have discovered myself, my eyebrows don’t grow any more. It’s about just trying to be the best you can be and not thinking life is over just because I’ve turned 50.”

At the heart of this special day will be friendship, fun and support, and also planned is a Midlife Magic panel with an open Q&A session with the audience. As Annie says: “Women like to be together and share experiences.”

* Find Your Midlife Magic will take place from 9.30am to 5pm on Tuesday, October 3, at Goldsborough Hall. Tickets are £125pp. Includes refreshments throughout the day and a delicious buffet lunch. The Midlife Magic Day is supported by the Styling and Makeup Team from John Lewis & Partners Leeds. Buy tickets at www.goldsboroughhall.com/whatson/midlifemagicevent

WIN A MID-LIFE MAGIC MAKEOVER AT GOLDSBOROUGH HALL WITH JOHN LEWIS & PARTNERS AND CELEBRITY HAIRDRESSER ANDREW BARTON

We have teamed up with Find Your Mid-Life Magic, John Lewis & Partners and celebrity hairdresser Andrew Barton to offer two lucky women the chance to win a makeover - worth at least £750 - to take place at the Find your Mid-Life Magic all-day event at Goldsborough Hall, near Knaresborough, on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.

THE PRIZE: Two lucky women will win free entry for themselves and one guest each to the event. They will arrive in the morning to be introduced to the audience and then be whisked behind the scenes where Andrew Barton will style their hair, and the fashion and beauty teams from John Lewis & Partners work their magic so they leave with a new look and a new outfit, after revealing it to the audience at the end of the day.

HOW TO ENTER: This is open to any woman 45+ who is available on the day of Tuesday, October 3, 2023, and can provide her own transport to arrive at Goldsborough Hall by 9am and leave no earlier than 5pm. Entrants can either nominate themselves or they can be nominated by someone else (but please make sure that your nominee is free that day and would be willing to attend). Entrants from any family or close friend of any of the Find Your Midlife Magic team is not permitted.

We are looking in particular for women who feel they have lost their way, in terms of their mid-life style, or who really deserve to be pampered. Both winners must be willing to share their story with the Mid-Life Magic audience.

The two winners will be chosen by the Mid-Life Magic team and will be contacted by them to run through the fine details.

To enter, send your entries or nominations, explaining why you think you or your nominated woman deserves a pampering makeover at the Mid-Life Magic event, by email to: [email protected] to arrive by noon on June 25, 2023. If you enter yourself, please include your name, age and contact telephone number. If you nominate someone, please give their name, age and confirm their availability, and also give your own name and contact telephone number. We require no photos at this point, although do feel free to send one if you wish.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Normal National World competition rules apply, for more information go to: nationalworldplc. com/competition-prize-draw-terms-and-conditions. Open only to UK residents over 45 years. Bill payer’s permission must be obtained before entering. National World privacy policy: nationalworldplc.com/privacy.

Find Your Midlife Magic are the promoters of this competition. Entrants for this competition must be 45 years and over. Maximum of 2 tickets issued to the winner for the day – each winner can bring one guest. The winner will be chosen by the Midlife Magic team and must be available in person to come to Goldsborough Hall from 9am to 5pm for the makeover and be introduced to the audience before and after the makeover and agree to photography and video coverage of the event for publicity purposes. Once selected, the winners will be notified by June 25, 2023, and will have 72 hours to claim the prize. Failure to reply to notification within this time period renders the competition void and a replacement winner will be selected and contacted. The winners will be contacted via email / phone. The winner must be available prior to the event to receive telephone calls/emails and to attend a fitting session at John Lewis in Leeds on an agreed date. Entrants from any family or close friend of any of the Find Your Midlife Magic team is not permitted. There is no cash or other alternative to the prize stated and the prize is not transferable, and no part or parts of the prize may be substituted for other benefits, items or additions. The name, email address and a contact number of the winner will be requested for prize fulfilment and may be passed to a third-party provider for prize arrangement. The competition winner may be invited and agree to take part in post-competition publicity as may be requested by the promoter. By accepting the prize, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the competition winner consents that the promoter may use his/her name, photograph, likeness (including his/her voice), hometown and biographical information and statements concerning the competition or the promoter and/or its products without further compensation or notice for the purpose of advertising, promotion, and merchandising, throughout the world in perpetuity, and the competition winner grants all rights to edit or modify and to publish and copyright such details. The decision is final and binding on the entrants. No correspondence will be entered into.