Saga Magazine January 2025

Hello everyone and welcome to January, the month of fresh starts and New Year's resolutions. If 2024 was about steadying the Saga ship – fixing the engine so to speak – then 2025 is going to be about setting sail for sunnier climes, looking at how we become a bigger, better Saga and finding new ways to improve the lives of our customers. With that in mind, the customer panel sessions I held last month could not have come at a better time. I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to share their hopes, thoughts and worries with me and my team, not least because one clear standout from the sessions was how busy you all are – with grandchildren, volunteering, pursuing hobbies, work and, in some cases,…

Hello everyone. As I write, I'm sitting in glorious Canaries sunshine on the deck of one our beautiful boutique cruise ships, sipping on a cocktail and contemplating my New Year's resolutions. Funnily enough, number one on my ever-growing list is organising another Saga Magazine cruise as soon as possible. It's been such a treat sailing with our brilliant columnists Paul Lewis (above) and Jenni Murray, who are both excellent speakers and, of course, meeting our readers too. I've loved hearing so many different views on the magazine. It's reassuring to know that Hunter Davies is still doing what all good columnists should do by delighting or annoying you in equal measure! ‘I've loved hearing so many different views on the magazine’ I certainly hope you find many things to delight…

Tim Spector Recipes, p60 The doctor and microbiome expert promotes a plant-based, high-fibre diet and co-founded the nutrition program ZOE, endorsed by celebrities including Davina McCall and Steven Bartlett. Elijah Wald Bob Dylan, p103 A blues musician and author of Dylan Goes Electric – the definitive guide to the moment Bob Dylan picked up an electric guitar and ‘triggered the end of the folk revival’ in 1960s America. Will Wyatt Walking sticks, p44 Starting his BBC TV career as a producer on Points of View, he ended it as chief executive and deputy to the DirectorGeneral. He has written three books and is a lifelong horse racing fan. Kate Spicer Health, p82 A lifestyle writer whose talent for turning her life into articles has been embarrassing her and all around…

Our January picks…

There's no need for Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients’ Association, to inform me that the NHS dental service is shot to pieces. It's broken, she says. After a lifetime of excellent dental care, I now find my committed NHS dentist who, for years, took regular care of my whole family, has retired. What a bad time for one of her brilliant fillings, carried out years ago, to decide to go walkabout. It hurts. Can I find an NHS dentist to fix it? Of course I can't – and I'm not alone. The government spending watchdog, the National Audit Office (NAO), says plans to end the crisis in NHS dentistry are failing. The promised fleet of mobile dentistry vans has not materialised and the £20,000 golden hellos offered to…

You're celebrating your 60th birthday this month. How does that number feel? Well, it's a nice round number, isn't it? A great number. My pension comes to fruition and, although I don't have any plans to, I could retire. In my case, too, it's wonderful still looking 40 when you're 60. It's all going very well. Is the current beard and longer hair all part of your new sexagenarian appeal? They are! But the look is also a celebration of being allowed to have a beard because for the past 20 years I've often played female parts like Miss Hannigan in Annie or the stepmother in panto. This Christmas, I knew I'd be Captain Hook in Peter Pan. I thought, ‘Great! Finally, an actual bloke. I can grow the beard!’…