Entrepreneurs 'older than we think'

 

More than a third (38%) of people in London believe that entrpreneurs fit into the 25-34 age group, when in fact they are more likely to be over 55, a new survey shows.
Research by Nominet Trust found that, contrary to popular belief in the capital, the largest number of British entrepreneurs are 55 years and over, rather than 20-somethings like Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter's Jack Dorsey.

The findings come as the charity urges over 65s in the region to innovate online.
Its research found that perceptions of how older people use the internet and what they have to offer are largely incorrect. It found that most people believe over 65s are luddites when, in fact, this age group has the fastest growing number of users of digital and social media.

Nominet Trust's Ageing and the Use of the Internet report highlights that there is huge potential to mobilise our ageing population's enterprise and digital savvy to use the internet to address social problems in their lives and communities. In particular, the report shows there is a pressing need for products, services and technologies for older people designed by older people.

For this reason, Nominet Trust is launching a £250,000 challenge, with funding and support available for the strongest projects that could work with older people to: use the internet to address specific social problems facing older people; design new and better ways for older people to get on to and use the internet; and develop and use technologies which older people feel comfortable with.
The Nominet Trust is calling for bright sparks in London to come forward.

Grandparents subsidise family holidays

A significant proportion of family holidays are paid for by grandparents, according to research from a leading insurer.

Grandparents are increasingly paying for family breaks, according to new research by Gnu Insurance.
The insurer polled 1,000 over-50s and found that 43 per cent of people in this age group have paid for their children and grandchildren to go on holiday at some point.
Nearly one in four grandparents said they paid for a family holiday every year, while 56 per cent dip into their savings once every two years.
The survey suggests that grandparents will collectively spend more than £2 billion on family breaks this year, accounting for nearly one-tenth of the nation's outlay on holidays.
Paul Thilo, general manager at Gnu Insurance, remarked: "The over-50s have more spending power than ever before when it comes to holidays.
"Not only are retirees making the most of their freedom by travelling more, they are also responsible for funding a lot of family holidays, for all generations."
However, grandparents may become less generous with their savings in future, as figures show that older age groups are currently suffering the highest rates of inflation.