S2 Episode 5 - Flying High in Later Life with Barbara Barnes

In this engaging conversation, Barbara Barnes shares her inspiring life journey, from her early career as a primary school teacher to her extensive community service and charity work. At 84, she reflects on her adventures, including daring fundraising activities like wing walking and abseiling, all while advocating for Alzheimer's Scotland. Barbara discusses the challenges of aging, her motivations for helping others, and her philosophy on life, emphasizing that age should not limit one's aspirations. The episode concludes with a light-hearted discussion about her unique cocktail creation, Scottea, blending her Scottish and Yorkshire roots.

Barbara retired as a primary teacher in 2001. She has been a Justice of the Peace, a member of the board for Alzheimer Scotland for 10 years, a Vale of Leven Citizen and was awarded the British Empire Medal in 2013.

From 1999, aged 59, she started doing amazing things to raise money for various charities including: Alzheimer Scotland, the Stroke Association and Talking Newspaper. She has done: 5 abseils, 6 zip lines, a sky dive, 3 sponsored walks and 2 fire walks. For fun she has also climbed Ben Lomond and Sydney Harbour Bridge, gone gliding, had a helicopter ride and at aged 70 she did a wing walk!

Takeaways

Barbara was a primary school teacher for most of her working life and notes that the profession has changed enormously since she retired.

Barbara has been involved with Alzheimer's Scotland since 1986 due to her family's history with dementia.

She runs a choir for people with dementia and their carers, providing a supportive community.

Barbara has raised thousands for various charities through adventurous activities.

She completed a wing walk at the age of 70, showcasing her adventurous spirit.

Barbara believes age should not limit one's ability to try new things.

She has participated in numerous fundraising stunts, including abseiling and fire walking.

Barbara's son supports her actively.

Her cocktail, Scottea, combines whisky and Yorkshire tea, reflecting her heritage.

Insta @hearmeroarhere

Facebook Hear Me Roar

YouTube @hearmeroarhere

Get in touch: hearmeroarhere@gmail.com or via our website hearmeroarhere.com

Transcript

Hear Me Roar (00:32)

Hello, hello. Hiya, so we were having a chat before we started recording. I had a good rant on my page today because a woman had written an article about swearing, someone swearing or people swearing in front of her children. And she was quite rightly annoyed about that. But one of the things she pointed out was that it was even a woman over 50 who

Marie, did your stomach just go? I hope the microphone won't pick up my stomach. I think Timbuktu picked up your stomach. Marie's obviously hungry. Yeah, I think it might be cake time. I think it might be cake time. Cake o'clock. Yes, so I having this rant because this woman said even a woman over 50 swore. Bloody rude. I know. And it annoyed me that kind of

even a woman over 50, like a higher standard of behaviour is expected of us, A, because we're women and B, because we're older. Yeah. So what a load of buggery bollocks? I know, I know. So I had a really good rant about that. You did. And I said, it doesn't matter your age or your gender. If you're going to swear, you're going to swear.

Ultimately, you reach an age where you've gone through the menopause, you've gone through all the kind of like the sweaty bits, the anxious bits, you've done all that. And you get to the point where

you just don't give a flying fig anymore. Exactly. You have no more to give basically. And you'll pretty much say what you think. we all turn into, we all get a bit more gobby Yeah, I think we do. Because we're not prepared to put up with idiots anymore. So, but I mean, it doesn't mean that you can't be respectful, but at the same time, because you're a woman over 50,

doesn't mean that you automatically are behaving in a certain way. Yeah, we're not automatically going to start filtering ourselves and wearing a twin set of pearls and going around with our little fingers stuck out as we drink a cup of tea. Well, I do. I mean, I have a little.

But yeah, no, I just got a bit ranty this morning. Rightly so. We can't be labeled just because we're over 50. We have to be full of decorum and grace. No. Okay. But we are talking today with a lady who is full of decorum, grace and an absolutely indomitable. How do you say it? Indominatable.

spirit. Yes. And she genuinely is an incredible woman. Her name's Barbara Barnes. She's a former primary school teacher. She's 84, nearly 85 years old. She's been a justice of the peace, which she'll explain to us no doubt. A member of the board for Alzheimer's Scotland for 10 years. A Vale of Leven Citizen. And she was awarded the British Empire Medal in 2013.

So from 1999, she started doing amazing things to raise money for various charities, including Alzheimer's Scotland, the Stroke Association and Talking Newspaper. She's done five abseils, six zip wires, a skydive, three sponsored walks and two fire walks and a partridge in a pear tree. So for fun, she has also climbed Ben Lomond and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

and she's gone gliding, had a helicopter ride and at age 70 she did a wing walk. Wowzers. Yeah. And at age 85, she is carrying on. So let's go and meet Barbara Barnes for this episode, Flying High in Later Life.

Hear Me Roar (04:24)

Hello Barbara, lovely to meet you. Hi Barbara.

Barbara Barnes (04:28)

Thank you. Hello

ladies. Hi ladies.

Hear Me Roar (04:31)

Oh,

it's really nice to meet someone who has done some fairly fantastic things. And I don't think you've ever let age stop you either. No, we're actually in awe of the things you have done. We are. are. Actually, regardless of your age, we're in awe of the things that you've done. exactly. But you started off life as a, well, not obviously started off life.

because then you'd be born a primary school teacher, but you started your working life as a primary school teacher. Tell us a bit about that, Barbara.

Barbara Barnes (05:07)

Yes, I actually started off life in the civil service for when I left school, I was nearly 19 and I went to the Ministry of Labour in Manchester for a few years and then I got married and came back to Scotland and had the two boys

So I went to college and trained to be a primary school teacher. I went there while the boys had just started school. And then I went to the school that they were actually at and I was there for all of my teaching life, which was, it was great. I loved it. Yeah. I still see, sorry.

Hear Me Roar (05:46)

Wow. So you actually

taught in the school where your children were pupils. Wow. That must have been handy for keeping them in line.

Barbara Barnes (05:52)

Yes, yes, yes I did, yes.

Well

yes, the younger one was sometimes he got into a bit of you know bother, well not bother and he used to be thinking gosh what will she say and I still see some of the the pupils that I used to teach in fact I saw one yesterday I was buying my house insurance locally and the young man that I was buying it from said

Hear Me Roar (06:06)

⁓ ⁓

Barbara Barnes (06:22)

you used to be my teacher Mrs Barnes, you know. I still see them but unfortunately they've grown up and I don't recognise them. I have to say to them, excuse me, give me a clue, what's your name?

Hear Me Roar (06:25)

wow! That's so nice.

Definitely. Well, you must have taught

a lot of children if you were there for your entire working life.

Barbara Barnes (06:42)

Yes I was, yes aye It was great. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hear Me Roar (06:44)

Yeah.

Marie used to be a teacher as well. I did, yes. I started life so to speak as a primary school teacher but it's very different now to what it was like when we...

Barbara Barnes (06:51)

All right, yes.

Oh, indeed it is. Indeed it is. Indeed it is. Yes.

I think I might be in sort of a dispute with some of the things that happening nowadays. Yes. Yeah.

Hear Me Roar (07:10)

Yes, it's quite ⁓ weird.

It's a different profession to the one that we graduated into, I would say, absolutely. Yeah. So we're dying to know some of these many varied things that have happened to you over the course of your life. So we're going to start off with you were made a justice of the peace. Can you explain what that actually is?

Barbara Barnes (07:16)

yes, without a doubt. Yeah, yeah, yeah it is indeed.

Yes, I was,

Well, it's similar to a magistrate in England. we take court cases that are, we can still send people to jail, but it's not very often that happens. It's more disturbances, breach of the peace and occasionally theft.

different things like that, you know, so but normally I remember one time there was a young chap came in front of me and it was Christmas Eve and he'd had community services, he'd had this, he'd had that. It was for disturbance outside, you know, and I thought I had no other option but to send him to jail and I sent him to jail for 14 days so he was going to be in jail over Christmas.

And as he was going out the courtroom, he turned round and he waved to me and he said, thank you, ma'am, thank you, ma'am, because he was going to get his Christmas dinner. I thought that's meant to be a punishment, you know. However. Yes, indeed, yeah. Another time, one of my ex-pupils came up there, you know, and that was a bit difficult, you know. However. Yeah.

Hear Me Roar (08:32)

Well, if he was going to get a little bit Christmas dinner, I guess every cloud. Can you? I'm just imagining.

dear. That's what I was going

to say. I was just imagining, imagine one of your ex-pupils coming up and they'd be like, my goodness, Mrs. Barnes, I thought I'd got rid of you. Ha ha

Barbara Barnes (08:57)

At

some odd time you'd think to yourself, I didn't think I would see you here. Another time it was somebody else you think, I just knew you'd be here at some point, just the way they were.

Hear Me Roar (09:10)

goodness

me. So not only are you a justice of the peace, but you're also a Vale of Leven citizen. Is it Leaven or Leeven. Right. Sorry.

Barbara Barnes (09:19)

Leeven Vale of Leven Yes, it's just

through my community work somebody nominated me for the Citizen of the Year which was very kind of them, yeah.

Hear Me Roar (09:28)

right, okay, that's amazing. Okay,

so we're gonna get onto your community working a bit. We wanna talk about the cake first. Yeah. The Royal Garden parties, because we're seething with jealousy. We would love to go to a Royal Garden party.

Barbara Barnes (09:40)

yes, yes. Yes,

It was at Holyrood in Edinburgh, the ones I went to, yeah. And I got to take, in fact Gordon [Barbara's son] went with me at one point, but unfortunately the day that Gordon went with me it was pouring with rain, I went to shelter under one of the canopies. But yes, very interesting, very interesting. Another time I went.

Hear Me Roar (09:48)

All right, ⁓

no!

Barbara Barnes (10:06)

with another friend was with me and she was in a wheelchair. Prince Philip came across and he was really interested in the wheelchair. He was asking her how it worked, et cetera, et cetera. So it was, all very nice, very nice, yes. Lovely. yes, it was very nice, yes. Very nice. You have to get all dressed up, of course, you know do it all. Yeah, absolutely, yes.

Hear Me Roar (10:19)

It's a huge, it's a huge honor, isn't it, for community service? Yeah.

Yeah, did you have to wear a hat?

We need to get invited. I know, I know it's on my bucket list. Actually we don't because I look awful in hats. Well just don't wear one. Fascinator Yeah, yeah. Good, right, that's what I'll wear. And that's not the only honour because you've also got the British Empire medal, the BEM. Yeah.

Barbara Barnes (10:34)

Ha

Fascinators are out now as well.

Yes, I did. Yes.

Yes, that was...

Hear Me Roar (10:55)

So did

you have to go down to Buckingham Palace to get that? How does that work?

Barbara Barnes (11:00)

No, no, the British

Empire Medal is given locally. So that was done at the Council chambers and it's the Lord Lieutenant of the county that gives you that.

Hear Me Roar (11:14)

right. Still a massive

honor. And this is what we're kind of moving on to. We want to talk about some of these amazing community things that you've done that have led you to be honored in such a way. Much of what you've done, and I believe for decades you've been doing this, is raising money for

Barbara Barnes (11:21)

Ha ha.

Hear Me Roar (11:34)

charity in particular Alzheimer's Scotland.

Barbara Barnes (11:37)

Yes, I've been involved with that since 1986 because both my parents had dementia and my father's two sisters also. So my parents were from Yorkshire. They came up, I was born in Scotland, but my father came up to work here in a local factory and they moved back down to Yorkshire after they retired. But unfortunately,

Hear Me Roar (11:44)

Really?

Barbara Barnes (12:01)

I was an only child and when they both got dementia, well father first of all, we had to bring them up to Scotland to live with us. And in those days there was very little help available outside of the family. And of course I was still teaching so there wasn't much in the way of local care available. So it was quite difficult, so that's how I got involved with the...

the local carers group for Alzheimer's Scotland at the beginning. I'm still involved with them. have a choir. It's called the Every Voice Choir that meets every fortnight. They are absolutely amazing. It's for people with dementia and their carers. And they come from the local care homes as well in their wheelchairs. And they absolutely love it. There's 70 of them in it.

Hear Me Roar (12:43)

Mm-hmm.

Barbara Barnes (12:49)

and it's absolutely brilliant. I just provide the tea and the coffee and a wee blether afterwards. Well, it's held in my church so I go down and I open up for them and make sure the place is ready for them to come to. We had a concert last week, the summer concert and it was absolutely packed because there was 70 in the choir.

Hear Me Roar (12:49)

That's it.

⁓ That's very important.

Yeah. Fantastic.

Barbara Barnes (13:11)

And then there was the audience, which was about another 70, so it was great And the choir master that takes it, he's so very good because, I mean, sometimes you've got that there's one lady who's in a wheelchair and she just whistles all the time, whistles and shakes and whistles and shakes. And he doesn't bother. That's part of, you know, part of being in the choir. It doesn't bother him at all. So, yes, it's a great thing to be in. yes.

Hear Me Roar (13:13)

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Well, if it's all inclusive, then it has to be

all inclusive, doesn't it? So

Barbara Barnes (13:39)

Absolutely,

Hear Me Roar (13:40)

So what are some of the other things that you've done in the past to raise money? I know you've done some quite daring stunts. Very daring.

Barbara Barnes (13:47)

ha ha

Yeah, well, I've done the one that was absolutely amazing was the wing walk, I have to say. That was absolutely super. Unfortunately, you couldn't do it for charity, but people gave me donations and I gave it to Alzheimer's Scotland. you know. So although it wasn't a charity fundraising thing, it was absolutely amazing. I was flying over, was done in Cirencester, down in England, flying over the fields.

Hear Me Roar (14:11)

Mm-hmm.

Barbara Barnes (14:14)

and there was men working in the fields that were all waving to me as I was passing. That was lovely.

Hear Me Roar (14:19)

I think

we need to explain that you're currently 84 and you were 70 when you did this wing walk. So we're not talking about somebody in their 20s and 30s. I mean, that's doing a wing walk is amazing on its own, but to think that you were 70 as well and you did it for your birthday, is that right?

Barbara Barnes (14:24)

Yes.

Yeah. Yeah.

no.

It was great.

Yes, yes, yes. Yes, It was a birthday present from my sons. Yes. They stood and watched me. Yes, it was good. Yeah, I enjoyed it. One of the interesting ones too I did was I climbed Ben Lomond, which is not too far from me. Two friends and I climbed Ben Lomond and it was quite funny because...

Hear Me Roar (14:42)

What a memorable day. ⁓ Wow.

Okay.

Barbara Barnes (15:04)

It took us so long to climb it that my husband was phoning the local hospitals to see if we'd had an accident. It took us ages and when we came back down we passed a field, it was full of Highland cows and my other two friends they were not going through that field with the cows, you know. So they went through another field and ended up thick with mud. I just passed the cows and patted them, patted them on the side.

Hear Me Roar (15:11)

⁓ no!

Yeah.

You just have this natural bravery, don't you? Because you wouldn't get me walking through a field of cows. You have done a skydive, haven't you? Yes. When was that?

Barbara Barnes (15:33)

Yeah, it's just good fun.

I did? Yes.

That was in 2001, I think that was 2001.

That was

Hear Me Roar (15:51)

And what was that like?

Barbara Barnes (15:54)

amazing, absolutely amazing. I had to go a few times. The weather has to be right. It was at Strathallan that we did it there. The worst bit of it is when you come out, fly out, of course the other chap's

Hear Me Roar (15:57)

Mmm.

Barbara Barnes (16:07)

on your back and when you come down the worst bit is you come flying down and then of course the parachute opens so you shoot back up again. So that was the yeah but no very interesting yeah lovely.

Hear Me Roar (16:22)

So

let's talk about your abseils. You've abseiled down the Marriott Hotel, the Forth Rail Bridge, Drumkinnon Tower, the Titan Crane and the Falkirk Wheel. You obviously love abseiling.

Barbara Barnes (16:25)

yes.

Yes, yes, yes I have. The first one I did was the Hilton Hotel and that was with some ladies from school. We all did it and we called ourselves the Angels of Aitkenbar We came down, we had wings on our back. Yes, I've done a few abseils. They're quite good. Quite enjoy those.

Hear Me Roar (16:42)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You must have raised a heck of a lot of money for charity over the

though.

Barbara Barnes (17:04)

never counted it.

Hear Me Roar (17:05)

Have you not?

Barbara Barnes (17:05)

yeah.

No, no, no. No, a few thousand.

Hear Me Roar (17:08)

Wow.

I bet a fair few thousand. Because it's not, it's, you don't raise money just for Alzheimer's Scotland, am I right? You also raise it, you raise it for the Stroke Association and Talking Newspaper. Is that right? So what, what, what actually is Talking Newspaper?

Barbara Barnes (17:12)

Yeah.

No, no I don't, no.

Yes, yes, yes, that's right.

it's a recording for the blind people and you record the local news and then it comes in, it used to come in a tape but now comes in a stick and It's recorded every week and it goes out to people that are blind.

Hear Me Roar (17:33)

Right.

All right. So is that provided by your local newspaper or library or a group?

Barbara Barnes (17:49)

Mm-hmm.

Well, it's getting

more difficult because the local newspaper is not in print anymore. It's only online, you know, so it's very difficult So it's only going out fortnightly now, unfortunately, because there's just... We're not able to get the amount of news that's needed, And of course, people that are blind have got access now to other means of communication. So it's not as needed now as it used to be.

Hear Me Roar (17:58)

Right.

Yeah.

Right. Yeah, that's A lot of people who are blind use technology to read whatever's on their screens now, don't they? Yeah. Taking you back to what you were saying about what spurred you into raising money for Alzheimer's Scotland and some of the absolutely amazing things that you've done.

You talked about your parents having Alzheimer's dementia. Were you scared that this might happen to you as well?

Barbara Barnes (18:43)

Absolutely,

absolutely, yes. I always base myself on my mother's sister who lived in Scarborough and she lived to 107 and mentally she was, so I'm basing myself on that.

Hear Me Roar (18:55)

Wow. ⁓

Yeah.

Barbara Barnes (19:04)

Oh yes, oh yes, yes.

Hear Me Roar (19:03)

But it's frightening, isn't it, if you think there's a genetic link that can be really frightening.

Barbara Barnes (19:08)

Especially when you get to your 80s you do forget things, you know, I forget names.

people's names, et cetera. But my friends all say it's the same for them, so I don't feel quite so worried about it. erm

Hear Me Roar (19:17)

Yeah.

We're in our

50s and we forget things, don't we? Yeah, absolutely. All the time. Brain fog. Did you have conversations with your family about what you wanted if it did happen to you?

Barbara Barnes (19:24)

Hahaha

Yes,

yes I do. Yes with Gordon, unfortunately I've just got Gordon now, my other son died five years ago. But Gordon now he's got power of attorney for me if I get diagnosed with dementia, yes.

Hear Me Roar (19:48)

And I know Gordon

Barbara Barnes (19:50)

Yes, yes he is. The fact he lives in England I know is,

Hear Me Roar (19:50)

an absolutely brilliant son to you. He's up and down the road all the time, making sure you're okay.

Barbara Barnes (20:00)

If there was something wrong, he'd be in the car and up here as fast as he could, you know.

Hear Me Roar (20:04)

Difficult conversations to have,

Barbara Barnes (20:06)

It

is, it is, yes, it is.

Hear Me Roar (20:08)

Anyway, on a cheerier note... Tell us about your fire walk

Barbara Barnes (20:11)

Hahaha!

the fire walk,

yes. Well, the first one I did was in St Enoch Square in Glasgow. That was for Alzheimer's Scotland and it was absolutely amazing. It was laid out, was just coal on it and there was a band there and they played and you had to march along across the fire walk right across. It was really good. But the second one I did, someone had set it up and it was like wooden chips.

⁓ that wasn't good. Because your foot sank into the wooden chips as you were going along it. So that wasn't good. So I wouldn't do that again if it was wooden chips. No, that wasn't so good.

Hear Me Roar (20:40)

No, did you get burnt? ⁓

No. How do you

not get burnt?

Barbara Barnes (20:55)

Yeah, well, your toes. I did a couple of blisters on my toes, but I got across it as fast as I could when I realised what was happening. That wasn't a very good one.

Hear Me Roar (21:04)

Do you have to have special shoes on? No, because you do it barefoot. You do it in bare feet? Bare feet? Yeah. Walking over hot coals? ⁓ my god. Is there a technique to avoid getting burned? Run.

Barbara Barnes (21:07)

No, just your bare feet. Bare feet. Yeah, yeah, Yes. ⁓

Yeah, you run.

Run as fast as you can.

Hear Me Roar (21:24)

right. OK, so it's a fire run rather than a fire walk then. How long is it? Is it like just two feet?

Barbara Barnes (21:31)

⁓ I would think it's about,

let's how I think, about two, three metres I would think, round about three metres. It's not very long you know, but yeah, long enough.

Hear Me Roar (21:39)

Right, It's long enough. So it's about 10 feet, is it? Yeah,

yeah. Oh my goodness. And have you ever done an activity that you've been scared to do?

Barbara Barnes (21:51)

Err, let me think Not really. No, not really. ⁓

No, no, can't think so, no, no. I wouldn't do a bungee, no. A bungee jump, I wouldn't do a bungee jump, because I don't, the bit shooting back up at you, no, no. I wouldn't do that, no. That, no, no.

Hear Me Roar (21:59)

I'm just scared of everything you tell me.

for me it's bit

where you're at the edge and you have to jump off. That would scare the pants off me. It's a bit like you've done zip slides as well haven't you?

Barbara Barnes (22:15)

Yeah.

Yes, I'm doing another one and the

end of August I'm doing another one.

Hear Me Roar (22:25)

Sorry,

you're doing one this year?

Barbara Barnes (22:28)

end of August. Gordon's doing it with me. Gordon's doing it with me and my two granddaughters, his two daughters are doing it as well.

Hear Me Roar (22:28)

Wow. Where about? Oh, is he?

was fantastic.

Whereabout are you doing it?

Barbara Barnes (22:38)

Across the River Clyde up in Glasgow from the Finnieston Crane across to the other side there. And that's for the local, no, it's for the local children's hospice.

Hear Me Roar (22:41)

Right, OK. ⁓

Is this for

Right, okay. How do you find all these different causes that you want to then...

Barbara Barnes (22:53)

Well, they

just pop up somewhere, you see that they're doing them. I think, well, OK, we'll give it a go.

I'm not, I'm not able to, I couldn't do walks anymore. I used to, I've done quite a lot of walks, but I couldn't do them anymore because I've got very painful feet. So I can't do those anymore. But whatever I can do, I'll give it a go.

Hear Me Roar (23:06)

Yeah.

Right. Right. Yeah.

So do you have a favourite out of all the things you've done?

Barbara Barnes (23:16)

or the wing walk. Definitely. Yeah, it was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Yes, indeed.

Hear Me Roar (23:19)

It's pretty special. Yeah, that must have been amazing.

Do you actually walk

or are you just strapped on?

Barbara Barnes (23:29)

No, you're strapped on. There's a rod and you stand in front of the rod and there's a wire, holds on and you just hold on to the wire and the plane goes all over. You're just standing upright the whole time. Yeah, he does all sorts of loops. yeah. Yes.

Hear Me Roar (23:39)

Right, okay. Didn't do a look to Luke. Didn't do a look to Luke. Oh wow. Good lord. Do you think

that you'll ever slow down? Do think you'll ever start saying no?

Barbara Barnes (23:57)

Not

if I can help it, you know. I suppose I'll come to a stage maybe where, for example, I can't do walks anymore because I know I can't do that. But anything that involves me being upright and okay, I'll be all right. We'll see.

Hear Me Roar (24:05)

Yeah.

So you're heavily involved in volunteering for lots of committees as well aren't you?

Barbara Barnes (24:20)

Yes,

yes, yes.

Hear Me Roar (24:22)

There's

Barbara Barnes (24:22)

I've...

Hear Me Roar (24:22)

no slowing down going on.

Barbara Barnes (24:24)

No, no, no. Och, it's boring. It'd be boring. Just... No, no. Can't do that.

Hear Me Roar (24:29)

I love it, love it.

And that's kind of one of the one of the things that we were thinking about when we knew that we were going to be talking to you, Barbara, was should we allow age to limit us? What do you

Barbara Barnes (24:44)

No.

No, I don't think so. I mean, if the person that's doing it is confident that they're able to do it, I don't see why it should be age-limited. I know sometimes for the likes of the wing walk, you have to have insurance. So that probably would be age-limited. know, probably they wouldn't allow me to do it now.

Hear Me Roar (24:56)

Okay.

Barbara Barnes (25:01)

Possibly not, you know, but that's the only one that was insurance wise was needed.

Hear Me Roar (25:03)

Not that.

Okay. Right. Okay. Well, I'm glad I'm glad to hear that actually. Yeah. ⁓

Barbara Barnes (25:12)

Right, what are you ladies

going to do next then? you got one planned?

Hear Me Roar (25:18)

Oh, wait, do you know? What,

off this list? Nothing as brave as you. No, I'm kind of about to start doing running. And both of us have been asked to appear on stage at an event in London called Pause Live in October. And I think it's fair to say both of us are quite nervous. Brown pants time.

Barbara Barnes (25:24)

Hahaha.

Lovely. Aha.

Hahaha!

Hear Me Roar (25:42)

And we're just standing on stage for 20 minutes. You know, our feet will always be on the ground. Yeah. So, yeah, we're always happy to try and do new things, but I'm not sure I could do it on the scale that you've done it, Barbara.

Barbara Barnes (25:48)

Yes.

Good.

⁓ well,

give it a go, you can never say no. Yes. don't know about that.

Hear Me Roar (26:01)

Yeah, so you're a local hero, a local hero. Yeah, and rightly so. Well, you

are and you've done just absolutely amazing things. And this episode is called Flying High in Later Life. And you're certainly doing that. Definitely. So it kind of brings us up to our last question, really, which is your cocktail, Barbara. We asked you to think about a cocktail. What have you come up with?

Barbara Barnes (26:15)

Ha

Well, my cocktail is called Scottea, that's S-C-O-T-T-E-A. And it's a combination of Scotland and Yorkshire because it's whisky and Yorkshire tea, which is my favourite.

Hear Me Roar (26:35)

Okay.

wow! That's

a really interesting combination. You don't put milk in the tea though.

Barbara Barnes (26:49)

Not in that one, I don't know that I would fancy that to be honest with you, but...

Hear Me Roar (26:52)

That would be a bit yucky wouldn't it?

No, that would be bit gross actually wouldn't it? So it's whisky, Scottish whisky just mixed with black Yorkshire tea. Excellent. We can make that. We can have a go at that. Yeah. Because we're actually going to make all of our guests cocktails. So. Oh, we'll have a go at it.

Barbara Barnes (26:58)

Ha ha ha.

Exactly, yes. No milk.

Yeah.

I don't know about that one.

Hear Me Roar (27:20)

We'll see what it's like, We'll try anything once like I say, as long as our feet can stay on the ground. Well, thank you very much, Barbara. It's been absolutely brilliant talking to you. So thank you for taking the time. We actually are in awe of all these amazing things that no, no, don't because we're absolutely in awe of all these things you've done. Yeah. Absolutely. And best of luck for August.

Barbara Barnes (27:26)

Yes. Very good. Not at all. Not at all.

no.

Thank you. Thanks a lot. Okay, thanks ladies. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. Bye.

Hear Me Roar (27:47)

we will look forward to that. Thank you. Thanks, Barbara. Thanks very much, Barbara. Take care. Bye.