Age is no barrier to taking up a new interest. Ask Betty Goedhart who at 85 is the world’s oldest performing female flying trapeze artist.

In fact, the Californian octogenarian was 84 years and 249 days old when she broke the record. This is no lifelong passion either; Betty started her ‘flying’ lessons at the age of 78.

And how about a shout for DJ Sumiko Iwamura. Not perhaps a prime target for playing banging house tunes given that the Tokyo restaurant owner is 83 years young.

Never one to miss a trick, after her shift each night she makes her way to club Decabar Z for her DJ slot. As the oldest DJ out there, she says “doing something totally different is energising”.

DJ’ing was never in the retirement plan for Sumiko but she urges others to follow her lead. “Try something and don’t give up,” she says. “There are opportunities lying around every corner.”