About Us ©Later Life Training Ltd. 2003

 

Dawn Skelton   Susie Dinan-Young    Bob Laventure   Alan Skelton Our Tutor Team    Photographs
Later Life Training was founded in February 2003 to administer and run courses in Exercise for the Prevention of Falls & Injuries in Frailer Older People (Postural Stability Instructor) and the "Someone Like Me" Senior Peer Activity Motivator Programme. Dawn Skelton is the Company Secretary, Susie Dinan-Young heads the Tutor Team and Bob Laventure is in overall charge of the Senior Peer Activity Motivator Programme. A brief presentation is available to download - click here Later Life Training is an Equal Opportunities Employer and Provider, click here to download our Equal Opportunities Policy.
Dawn Skelton is an exercise physiologist with a scientific research background. She is currently the Project Co-ordinator of ProFaNE (Prevention of Falls Network Europe) ww.profane.eu.org at the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, University of Manchester.
She is also a Reader in Ageing and Health at HealthQWest, a research consortium for the West of Scotland (www.healthqwest.org), based at Glasgow Caledonian University.
She specialises in research and health promotion concerning exercise and older people. She is the Scientific Advisor for the Society for the Prevention of Osteoporosis, Falls and Fractures, the author of Research Into Ageing's "Exercise for Healthy Ageing" book (see useful links page) and Vice-Chairman of the charity EXTEND. Extend specialises in exercise to music for older people and disabled people of any age. She was the foundation recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother Fellowship from Research Into Ageing in 1997 and won the Evian Health Progress Award in 1995 and the Imperial College School of Medicine Research Into Ageing Prize in 1999.
Her interest in healthy ageing was nurtured at an early age, when she went for daily walks in the park with her grandfather. Being an only child her long living grandparents were her mentors. Her passion for travel, both through work and holidays, is only rivalled by her passion to succeed with her helicopter pilot licence. She loves animals, hill walking in Scotland (where she now lives) with her parents and visiting her three godchildren, Joshua, Samuel and Niamh.
Susie Dinan-Young is a Senior Clinical Exercise Practitioner and a Senior Research Fellow at the Royal Free and University College School of Medicine and Royal Free Hospital NHS Trust. She also works at Derby University on the BTec and PGCert in Osteoporosis and Falls.   She develops, supervises and delivers clinical exercise programmes in Secondary and Primary Care settings for the Departments of Physiotherapy, Old Age Psychiatry, Health Services for Older People, Cardiology, Palliative Care and Endocrinology. Her Research Fellow work for the Department of Primary Care and Population Sciences focuses on exercise for the older person and involves designing educational training programmes for health and exercise professionals designing exercise protocols for research studies and implementing and evaluating outcomes in a primary care setting.
She also develops, implements and quality assures exercise referral and recreational programmes for frailer older people in Community, Residential and nursing home settings. She is an advisor to the National Osteoporosis Society, The Society for Physical Activity and Prevention of Osteoporosis, Falls and Fractures and The British Geriatric Society’s Special Interest Group in Health Promotion, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists and Dance UK’s Healthier Dancer Programme.
She is a commissioned author for the Department of Health, most recently the National Quality Assurance Framework for Exercise Referral Systems and co-author of ‘Strong Bones (2002) and ‘Fitness for Seniors’ (2002) (see useful links page). She won the Exercise England Special Achievement Award in 1990 and the Fitness Professionals Award of Excellence in 2001.
Her background, as a dancer, with the Scottish Ballet, the founder of the Healthier Dancer programme, her BEd in Dance and Movement and Postgraduate Diploma and her collaboration with Bob Geldof on the SportAid Appeal, and her many years teaching exercise to movement to paitents, have led to an appreciation of movement and education in its widest sense. She has an undiminished and lifelong enjoyment of dance, downhill and cross country skiing, water skiing and more recently cycling.  Susie has just got married (2005) and moved to Scotland.
Bob Laventure has a background as a former Physical Education and Arts adviser and in sports development and exercise and health promotion. He has formerly worked with the Physical Activity Programme and the ACTIVE for LIFE National Campaign at the former Health Education Authority. He has also worked with a number of national sports bodies including Sport England, the Central Council for Physical Recreation and the British Sports Trust as well as a number of Government Departments including the DOH, DCMS and the DFES. His specific interests include the education and training of exercise and health professionals, promoting physical activity for older people and has recently developed the specific work relating to Senior Peer Activity Mentoring Project “Someone Like Me !”. Bob has also worked with a number of national and international working groups including the Age Concern England’s Ageing Well National Advisory Council, the European Health Enhancing Physical Activity Programme funded by the European Community and the World Health Organisation.
A member of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences and the National Association of Sports Coaches, in 1997 Bob received a Special Achievement Award from the Exercise Association of England and in 2000 was awarded the Fellowship of the Physical Education Association of the United Kingdom.
Recently a proud grandfather for the second time, Bob has a life-time addiction to basketball coaching, the French Rugby team and is a keen swimmer (he swam the English Channel in 1969).
His current activities also include working with the British Heart Foundation National Centre for Physical Activity and Health at Loughborough University where he has a remit for programme development in relation to older people and physical activity. His work there includes writing and compiling the ACTIVE for LATER LIFE Resource designed for health professionals (see useful links page). Bob also issues the Network Update for Senior Peer Mentors.
Alan Skelton is a retired Civil/Structural Engineer and Dawn Skelton's Father!  He bravely took on the administration for Later Life Training in February 2003 and has been the backbone of the business ever since.  He became a Director in July 2005 in recognition of his extremely hard work in ensuring that the students and tutors get full support from the office twenty four hours a day, seven days a week - he even takes the computer on holiday with him!.  He and his wife, Helen Skelton, are essential components of this small but friendly company. The Office also consists of David Riddell full time and Jenny Morris and Helen Sinclair part time.
Our tutor team We have a small but unique tutor/assessor team, in addition to ourselves, to ensure quality provision.
Tutor Team: The team consists of Dawn McLean, Sheena Gawler, Vicki Goodwin, Sarah Wheatley, Sara Wicebloom, Keith Gawler, Simon Hanna, Emma Cameron, Jolly Barrow, Kelsey Sprintall, Bex Townley, Jolly Barrow, Vicky Johnston, Keith Gawler, Dalena Christian. Tutors on our CPD days include Jane Ward, Carole Traole and Julie Pathensali (Whitney).
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Later Life Training Exercise for the Prevention of Falls and Injuries in Frailer Older People Postural Stability Instructor course, The Senior Peer Activity Motivator Programme, The Chair Based Leadership course and Otago Exercise Programme Leaders Award course- About Us
Registered Office: Later Life Training Ltd, 71 Duke Street, Mayfair, London W1K 5NY, UK Incorporated in England Company No.4654648 Private Limited Company Except where stated, this web site is the copyright of Later Life Training Ltd. VAT Reg. No: 809 7535 02