Last year compared to just 18 the year before while almost 4000 shorter blades were found campaign a search shows how desensitized some people are to carrying weapons the new chairman of the H S 2 high speed rail project has reportedly warned the government the costs could increase by as much as 30000000000 pounds the official budget for the line which is due to link London with Birmingham Leeds and Manchester is currently 56000000000 campaigners against female genital mutilation a calling for primary school children to be taught about it when the new relationships and health education curriculum is introduced next year secondary schools will have to teach pupils about a G.M. But experts say that may be too late for some vulnerable girls ministers have promised to put an end to the use of so-called poor doors in housing developments the community Secretary James Brokenshire says he's appalled by some examples of segregation he's seen in buildings with separate entrances for private and social housing tenants Scotland Yard is investigating how its Twitter account came to be had to overnight several tweets were sent from the force's verified account which has more than a 1000000 followers including one calling for the release of a jailed Drill music rapper from West London London's weather a cloudy start giving way to sunny spells and some heavy showers warmer than yesterday with top temperatures of 25 Celsius 77 Fahrenheit B.B.C. Radio London it's 3 minutes past 6 You're listening to the best of Jo good on B.B.C. Radio London please do not cool text or email Maggie Pigott with a barrister for 37 years she took early retirement due to ill health and she felt happier but didn't actually see other older people being represented correctly so she took to Twitter to promote a more realistic picture of getting older that was the inspiration for her to write her 1st book in her sixties and it's called How to age joyfully joyfully is a great word. Another late in life passion was taking up don't. Thing including Arjun tine tango and ballet Yes So I'm really pleased to say Maggie Pickett joins us on the afternoon show how Thank you so much for having me here excites Well you also bounced in of joyfulness Have you always been I mean I've only just met you know just literally bounced in and had a very thick hair and hum to me Have you always been like that oh yes I think people say I've I've always had a very positive attitude to life and I think actually it stems I've been thinking about that because so many people say it and I think it was because possibly I had actually a rather awful childhood where several things happened that I would he wouldn't wish on anybody. Just very briefly Mark my father fell ill when I was 5 and he died when I was 8 my sister got incredibly critically ill when I was about 13 and she was the 1st person ever to survive the disease she got so she was written up and in journals and things as that was very traumatic and then 18 my best friend who would been best friends her over 10 years slipped and fell on a mountain walk and died just before we were going to got to university together and I think those we episodes I don't know I'm not a tunnel psychotics but we brought home to be had an early age how. Really you're lucky to be heroin anything could happen and and you've got to grab life when it comes to you because it may not last forever and a lot of people don't learn that till quite late in life perhaps if they lose a loved one or something like that or a health scare or health you've had that as well I don't know I remember having I remember I last saw I don't know I'm telling you this I looked really really good friend who was an author and she knew she was dying and. Went to have a mole checked around the corner at the hospital and she was about the only person I told her she went on you know to get this done and the moment she knew the a point in the moment I came out she was on the phone and she was of the phone and it was her and and she went and I went is fine it's nothing it's just a thing and she said to me hang on to this moment really hang on to this moment because you now know what it's like when he's plucked from you and I will and I also thought how generous of her to say that to me Yeah I actually said to her Gosh it wouldn't have been better if I could say I now know I'm going through what you're going through and she went never ever she went no go out and live every day and. Often take something like that doesn't exist to to really bring you up short and think we are so lucky however grim it is and I know that so many people have with the grim hard lives and I feel blessed even though I've been through serious things I had skin cancer last year so I was hearing you about sunscreen believe you'll really screaming it because. I've been through that and I'm now factor 50 don't go out in the sun. So having been through that and that was quite a scare and various other times when I have to toss who will house says who out my life I've actually had episodes are not but I think all of that has actually made me feel wow one is so lucky to be alive if one is alive there's always it could always be worse and I totally believe that how happy one can be is actually in large measure down to ourselves we could make a real difference to our life by our attitude in fact we search says the optimism is only 25 percent inherited so the other 75 percent is you down to 0 you've got to be a series creator. Did the book is very interesting because of what fascinates me about you is you. The embrace social media which which I have done and mine's on You Tube yields on Twitter and people are scratching their heads over this because we are not the demographic. And a lot of people our age fear it hate it dismiss it you know it's destroying society and everything else and all I can say to you is just embrace it because my gps and some tools for me as. So you started off on Twitter didn't yes I started off on Twitter because once I got over and I got better and I was feeling healthy and up dancing and I just looked around and I saw there was such a negative attitude to life and older people always Winkie hands photos even the road sign of elderly people that's not a toll pattern I bent over with a walking stick and greeting cards always greeting culture you're going to fall apart and I thought you know I know due to people in their sixty's and seventy's they're doing amazing things open age the charity I'm involved with which has people aged 50 to 100 then we embrace single life absolutely 100 percent taking out new things learning new things dancing painting and I thought this is not the image that you see out there so I thought well I'm going to create this age joyfully aging better Twitter account and if I get 100 followers I'll be chuffed to bits and I'm going to try and portray something positive we frame ageing to be a frame ageing That's great yeah proud of it and so I started it off and when I last looked this morning I got 6700 followers over successfully by the end of this interview you'll have more. At Aging better or at aging better follow me because I have cartoons in quotes and only positive things I and to demonstrate this is when you have in the book you say you know this is not for. All of just try a little sayings I promise you there is substance in this but there are things that leave power to you and you just think that is very wise because you have the book that says you only live once but if you do it right once is enough and I think that is really an interesting point actually at what point in my mum's 94 and I don't know how to extraordinary and I see her preparing for death I mean to talk about death but she's preparing she's ready you know she's ready it's like she's welcoming it she's looking forward to it and it will happen and she's not fearful and to but the days she has while she's alive she is filling with so much and I and I just thought isn't it interesting if you are lucky enough to live 94 years that you can prepare for when the light goes out with no fear or anything but think I've just done so much in that and I think that's what your book is about isn't it yes it's like embrace that embrace the age celebrate it I know it's very hard for some people to are now I know that because of done it. Myself the people who do have tough lives and I'm not I'm not saying anything against that but as I hope I show in the book that if you take these 8 simple steps that you can do something even baby steps little things to make your life better to make it happier and even to live longer one of the basics things is physical activity if we just all moved a little more walked a little more took some more exercise we would benefit hugely both mentally and physically and just in our mood can we simple steps one or it's always in a production of Educating Rita and one of the lines that her to to says to her is from E.M. Forster. I honestly think this is this is a metaphor for life a to believe it which is only connect Yes and that is one of your chapters and it's connection that I think so many people are so disconnected and they don't connect and it doesn't mean you have to connect with other people you can connect with passion you connect with animals you connect with your job because what the hell is the point of doing it if you're not connected to it it's wasting your life so even if you lose it connects with it because you begin to enjoy it a bit more but I think that's a really in check interesting title just connect Yes Well I think connect is one of the 4 things the Center for aging best to say is absolutely vital for good later life and I think you've touched on starting with the important which is also purpose which is a number of the steps you now have something that gives your life meaning that makes you want to get out of bed in the morning whether it's your dog or your job or your family or volunteer going dancing. I think having a purpose and also connecting and social connections are. Really important to parents they've said that if you don't have the social good social connections it's as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes a day really don't interact with realty use a cliche a packet we were pack animals. To socially connect with one another and it's quite easily done there are ways you can do it in that there are give some tips but even if it's just what I do if I'm queuing for ladies loo I chat to the person in front to me if I'm waiting for a boss side I smile and say Aw How long have you been waiting and just this is really you actually listen you're preaching to the converted. You know people just think I'm crazy don't I you don't know me this morning I just talk to people when the time well they call you like so well I'm healthy I'm like you know I'm just I am fascinated by people and I just but often people just look at me askance like what the hell of have I turned into this mad woman in the street I sometimes do think do you know of no no no and I bet for everyone who thinks that they were 100 to think wow it's not amazing I wish I had some of what she like use this example and everyone who listens to me knows I'm going to use this example so this is an example they know is the rainbow story when I walk in here I walked in here one day it just stopped raining there was a rainbow over the Langham and there was a couple walking towards me hand in hand who were who couldn't see it so i to i said i didn't know these people and look a rainbow and they didn't turn around they ran away from me because they just thought she's a crazy woman and I just thought what a shame you've just missed one of the most romantic do you do you think is right in that scenario you know them and I mean obviously for them and I did I thought we had this something there hand in hand. How did you get do detent do you know Judy dead sadly I have never met her but she must be almost to do so many things why did she write agreed to write your forward I was very lucky it's the top question I'm always asked. I got it through really the generosity of others I have a close friend who knows John's Brandreth and she put me in touch with Giles I got in touch with jobs and he knows Dame Judi and I have tickets for him interviewing Dame Judi for Great Ormond Street Hospital so I knew he knew her and I just asked him if he could help me in any way how to best to contact at this she is my hero and I you know what inundated. To do this that and the other hundreds apparently. And I just thought she was an exemplar of everything that's in the book she just personifies it and Giles very very kindly sent smart left over and told her about the book and when she didn't about the book and what it says and also that I'm donating 50 percent of my world is to this charity open age she supports over 180 carrots are sure she's amazing and when she heard about my attitude apparent need to with Tom and to an aging and life she just said I would love to do it how wonderful it's been so supportive it's been great I've loved meeting you the book is out it's cool to see how it's age joyfully 8 Steps to a happy a full I like to listen to London's radio station B.B.C. Radio. You're listening to the. B.B.C. Radio London please do you know cool text my next guests life story could rival a character in Jackie Collins novel and it was actually through a chance encounter with her books as a child that inspired her own path to success Melanie Blake grew up in a volatile household homeless at the age of 16 she knew that she would have to call it to get a lucky break 20 years of to have 1st draft she has now released her 1st novel but it was never as simple as that and you'll find out it's called the thunder girls which is already being turned into a play starring Coley Nolan she was on talking about this actually a couple of weeks ago but I'm so pleased to say the woman behind it Melanie Blake joins us on the afternoon show I'm sorry on its being you have such amazing cast I can't quite believe I'm in your studio you fit the show like a glove to be honest and you'll story yesterday so this time yesterday we were talking to. Leslie Sharp who's in a play now isn't she and there is a reason the unlinking the 2 of you together because she's in a play about the. Parents whose kids are given everything given this wonderful start in life and I just said off the back of it all of you parents out there don't make it easy on your children because if you do they'll lose their edge and you are living example of that on well I'm not sure I'd want to advocate as hard as I had to but slowly I have had stepchildren and I have my own children but I absolutely was down the same Demick you guys say but to make as hard as I had mine was horrendous We had quite a normal family life no than family and marriage munched our own law until my dad found religion but it wasn't religion it was a cult overnight he came back from this church where he was convinced that it was doomsday and the end was nice and there was no point in construction or anything else but basically read in the Bible which is quite dull and went about 7 or washed up the pope's Yes our neighbors and popular culture in our house that we weren't allowed to look up as I have posted on the role because of a false idols so the fact that I ended up making my fame and fortune in the very area where he banned me from was. More than walls but also Did you have it 6 days and you know that things like Ingles it circumstances it serendipity whatever you want to call it that things just happen to you that you you know the deal you can adore can be on using Elise No I never thought about how to who rend us how rend a star and everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong and then I had the most unbelievable helping hand from the show biz gods who rescued me I was since adopted by showbusiness like from the start from homeless ways London to being plucked off experience a by Claridge it's been steps as a manager I mean it's just explain how that happens so yes Clapham steps could say she could see potential in you but when you look amorous I wouldn't commerces and so on but let's talk about the. Even qualify big help when I was the worst one ever so I arrived in London at 16 with 1500 pounds from 5 jobs I've done including working a legally behind bars 16 bars are public over attempts and i base go and I arrived and I call room in the house and stress I'm 50 quite awake and start trying to break into T.V. Didn't know I was doing red letter after letter nothing happened got a job with a promotions agency I am and started handing out leaflets and fly as I was OK at least I'm doing something and this goes on for 2 years by 19 I'm in a bedsit absolutely broke ruined rat and I'm not tonight well I'm just going to go back to Munster I'm going to accept the council I'm going to be grateful I'm going to be just tried I'm standing at Euston Station and I'm hunting out free drink it wasn't been terrible it was a very. Private And the reason I say that is because I was wearing white and this celebrity I won't name because it's not worth giving me a time I walked past May and not this drink out of my hand and it went all out of me and she wouldn't get a caret and I literally when this is it I'm done I walked back stag no boxes back behind us in station where I was $10.00 for a drink and my firm rung it's the same agency that give me the permit. So to have you have been in Congress now and yes or no idea will almost never end you know where else the studio is now when Yes I'm there went OK can you be there tomorrow and yes the next hour 010 about C.D.'s and I'm taken through security and I'm walking through this card on this picture of that Davis on one bowl that has a picture of stalls on I'm A OK this is really there is then I go past the Eastenders on a moment Obamacare and I let She lets go about time 7 Top Of The Pops is banned is the most evil thing on television they went this is your station I looked up and there is Top Of The Pops and I walked into the Top Of The Pops and straight into that world which feel full of the had. Me for all my became a camera system and well you I mean you were rubbish at watching telly she walked the route to my camera man and he's there kind of go in and within 30 seconds when you have no idea what you're into and I went no and he said Jeff pick these cavils I pick them up and I went oh my god they're really day. OK I think you should just sit this one out anyway so having no idea that you not supposed to break the invisible barrier Kylie Minogue was on and I was watching the rehearsal and I know is that halfway through the lights made I have turned blue and I thought looks really weird and I'm sure she's not a woman but no one's in studio with us that when she finished her house looks in Top Of The Pops he still. Will know I went over time when did you know that in the middle of your chorus that you had blue and she was not No and I was that well it doesn't she was not Thanks very much I knew right so that day I just crossed the invisible line and never lifted a cable again and at the end of the day I spent the day with Spice Girls Kylie I think Aerosmith are on and I was getting ready to leave I got paid a 100 pounds I was out well and nothing else in my life ever happens I've had this amazing paper on the court and they weren't seeing acts that I and I went OK then and there was that void Yes Never ever did a stitch of work but you you will one of then and you have been on life for years old. In the rehearsals and I used to go into the rascals of course as I was everyone else had a jaded comes to job I was literally like as if someone had broken into Willy Wonka's Yeah and I was let loose yet here I was with all these people I should never be anywhere near and so I was so excite