'Don't you know anything grandad?' she would ask. After school days blighted by poverty and bullying teachers, the impetus to study came from his granddaughter Becky who, as a two-year-old, grew frustrated with his inability to answer her questions. This is clearly not an issue for 84-year-old Jim Kelly, winner of an Adult Learners' Week award in 2010, who has in recent years dedicated himself to a wide range of study – everything from gardening to the 1688 'glorious revolution'.
' particularly important for those in the latter stages of life when one is less mobile and having to cope with the death of partners and friends: getting out of bed and feeling one has a purpose can be particularly challenging.' McNair, a semi-retired National Institute of Adult Continuing Education research fellow, says that in all the guidance about wellbeing, education is central. Now, at last, the government has latched on to the idea and David Cameron is planning a happiness index as a measure of success.
Professor Stephen McNair has spent half a lifetime's research proving it's better to be happy than rich – a state some say is best achieved through lifelong learning.
