Stat of the day: 5,376

It's been a strange few years for most of us - not least the over-50s, who have arguably suffered the most from the effects of the recession. So much so, in fact, that it looks like they're going back to the drawing board - according to figures from Age UK, the number of over-50s signing up for apprenticeship schemes has more than doubled. Terry Robinson, an apprentice at B&Q who, at 70, shouldn't by rights be doing anything more strenuous than tending to his tomatoes, says he enjoys it, though. 'You're never too old to learn new things,' he explains. Quite right - although we'd recommend he avoids too much in the way of heavy lifting.