We mark International Women’s Day with five remarkable women
McCarthy Stone retirement developments don’t do stereotypes, as these intrepid women’s stories prove.
Angie Chace: a new acting career at 68
After a career in finance, Angie Chace, and her husband Edson, who live at Tudor Rose Court, Southsea decided to give acting a try. From their first role, starring in a music video for the Asian Dub Foundation, they’ve met with great success and had a lot of fun along the way. Roles include nude life modelling, starring in a Clint Eastwood film and being extras in EastEnders.
Angie says, ‘Obviously because of Covid19, we haven’t been able to do quite as much as we had done in previous years but we did manage to squeeze in an advert for Schroeder’s Insurance, several photo shoots and also a TV programme about the World’s Most Evil Killers, which aired on Sky Crime in January this year.’
Marjorie Carter: the Olympian keeping fit in lockdown
Marjorie, now 86, has been doing gymnastics since she was 10 and enjoyed an impressive career as a gymnast, vaulting in the 1952 and 1960 Olympic Games before becoming a coach, then senior coach for Women’s Artistic Gymnastics for the City of Leeds. This saw Marjorie travel across Europe, training young gymnasts to represent Great Britain in Berlin, Zurich, Herning and Amsterdam. Until lockdown she was still hitting the gym three time a week, but has modified her routines at home doing Pilates, using a Fitt Cube for strength training as well as her static bike daily - while making ‘boredom buns’ and cakes to lift spirits at her retirement apartment in Jowett Court, Bradford.
Anne Maskell: the McCarthy Stone daredevil
Ann Maskell of Pen Morvah Retirement Living development, Bude discovered her adventurous side in her 60s, enjoying treks across Nepal and Peru, and, in 2019, whizzing down Europe’s fastest zip wire. To celebrate her 80th birthday she achieved her dream of a tandem skydive from 10,000 feet in August 2020 – despite having had to do an emergency exit from a plane last year.
Read more about Anne
Patricia Pearce: World traveller, charity founder AND MBE
Following a successful 39 year career with British Airways, over 30 years running Dreamflight, which takes 192 seriously ill and disabled children to Disney World each year, and an MBE, it’s fair to say that Pat has always lived her life to the full, and her retirement years are no exception.
Doreen Gibbs: World War II codebreaker – and factory boss
Happily living in her apartment at Amelia Court in Worthing, Doreen today keeps herself busy chatting over coffee in the garden or lunch at the onsite bistro with her neighbours (when restrictions allow).
But back in 1942, her life was somewhat different. Following finishing-school in Switzerland where she studied French and German, 19-year old Doreen was called up to join the codebreakers at Bletchley Park in the Japanese Naval Section.
She says: “It’s known as the best kept secret of the war, and it really was. No one knew what was going on there, even the cleaners just assumed we were office girls.
Following the war, she went to work for her father, a silversmith, taking over the business when her brother sadly passed away during the war. She successfully built the factory in Sheffield and showrooms in London into a luxury firm.
Want more inspiring stories?
You might also like to read about our short story competition winner Anne, Peter’s first art exhibition or about the many random acts of kindness in the developments.
