We’re delighted to publish a collection of articles by our favourite “silver” writers, sharing their views and experiences of life in retirement, as well as good (and not so good) marketing and customer service. Please contact us on enquiries@silvermarketing.org if you would like to become a contributor.
Glynis is a Silver Traveller and Silver Consumer with an insatiable passion for travel: her "bucket list" is getting longer as she gets older!
She has been writing about her adventures for over 11 years, and never tires of giving people the benefit of her experiences. "Glyn's Tips" feature in each of her travel articles to give the reader extra insights and advice.
The joy of being a Silver Consumer means Glynis can use a lifetime of experience to achieve the best deals, and to emphasise how important it is for companies to have a strong sense of fair play and equality.
Read about why Glynis feels that Age can be the Elephant in the Room.
Alan is a cruise & travel journalist with over 150 cruises completed. He has travelled from the Arctic to Australia, the USA to Russia, and to the Caribbean, Middle East and South America. A member of The International Travel Writers Alliance, Alan says "There is something magical about stepping aboard a beautiful cruise ship, visiting multiple countries and cultures but only unpacking once".
Alan is a regular contributor to several newspapers and magazines, has appeared on television travel shows and delivered talks on cruising at national venues. He writes for the Silver Marketing Association about the importance of good customer service and says that older people should be judged by their attitude and not their age.
Sally has had a long and exciting career in the travel industry and now enjoys freelance feature writing and guest blogging.
Her involvement with Guide Dogs UK has resulted in adopting two lively Labradors who failed the Guide Dog criteria. Having ‘retired’ to the south coast with husband Clive, she enjoys long walks on the seashore and along the South Downs.
She has her own website sallydowling.co.uk and is a regular contributor to silvertraveladvisor.com, the popular travel website for the over 50s.
Sally is passionate about promoting the rights of the older generation and she is working with us on our campaign to abolish road sign discrimination.
Gillian Thornton had just left bilingual college when she began writing through a local evening class nearly 50 years ago. Soon she was selling to national magazines and teaching her own class.
As a young mum, Gillian wrote childcare articles for parenting magazines, moving on to general features and celebrity interviews for women’s magazines and regional publications, as well as promotional copy for a major multinational client.
A member of the British Guild of Travel Writers for more than 20 years, Gillian now specialises in destination features on France and the UK, but insists she will happily go anywhere for a new adventure.
Steve Newman
Steve is a a travel writer and photographer specialising in expedition cruising and overland expeditions. He also writes about birds and wildlife for several magazines and is the Social Media manager for Your Holiday and Cruise Magazine.
He has a passion for writing "Inspiring Lives" pieces about older people who have conquered adversity, disease or physical injury to produce outstanding results and helping others.
A member of the British Guild of Travel Writers he never, ever intends to retire.
Andrew spent his earlier life in finance, although his time in Bermuda in the 1980s was more about sport, sea and rum than work. Much of his subsequent professional life was spent travelling, so it was no surprise that in retirement he combined a love of words and exploration to become a travel writer.
Current challenges include learning Italian and becoming a mature Supporting Artist in the acting world.
Originally from Lancashire, Chrissy started her lengthy travel career as a holiday rep in Greece in the ‘70s.
After 9/11 she completed an interior design course, undertook residential assignments and, with her husband, built a house in remote Scotland. She was also Operations Director of a small Kensington hotel.
Chrissy is a travel writer for www.silvertraveladvisor.com, volunteers with the Youth Offender Service, sings with the Kensington Singers, is a parent and grandparent.
Chrissy would like changes to how older people are categorised, particularly by marketeers and government bodies, to better define this hugely diverse demographic
Having taken early retirement from HM Revenue and Customs, Helen now uses her project management skills to plan travels with her partner, Roy. They have travelled to over 70 countries, and have trips booked to trek gorillas in Uganda, cook tapas in Spain and explore Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe.
As well as mystery dining, Helen is a keen cook and enjoys entertaining friends with various cuisines. In her remaining time, she enjoys writing about her travels, photography, entering competitions, visiting the theatre, and playing the piano. Researching her family tree is an ongoing, and often takes a back seat.
Jane Wilson
Jane is a travel & wellness journalist. She developed a thirst for travel and a passion for journalism early in her career, writing for international newspapers and UK magazines. Identifying the growing trend in wellness tourism, she captures this interest in her specialist site www.thewellnesstraveller.co.uk. She is a regular contributor to the popular over 50’s site, www.SilverTravelAdvisor.com, and a member of The British Guild of Travel Writers.
When she’s not riding her pink Vespa or practising the art of Tai Chi, she’s on a plane or a train seeking new places to cover and lacing her articles in wellness while tailoring them for the mature reader.
Her wish is to portray the wellness values in travel for the mature traveller.