YOURS ISSUE 134

‘I was conned on my own doorstep’ Gloria Hunniford is back on the small screen with a new series exposing doorstep scams

By Richard Barber loria Hunniford looks aghast.

“Retirement?” she says.

“It’s not in my vocabulary. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I was sitting around at home. I’d hate it. I like to keep myself busy and anyway, I love my work. I learn something new every day.”

At 71, she’s as good as her word. While other presenters scratch around for new projects, Gloria has not one, but two TV series running concurrently. The popular consumer programme, Rip Off Britain, that she co-hosts with Angela Rippon and Julia Somerville, ran for four weeks leading up to Christmas and has now been repackaged in six episodes being shown on Mondays until March 5.

These coincide with Gloria’s latest project, Doorstep Crime 999, which begins this month on BBC1. As its title suggests, the programme looks into scams, often involving the elderly, perpetrated at their own front doors.

And Gloria reveals she knows what she’s talking about from personal experience. “Mine was a classic driveway scam.

A guy who had already done

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Gang of three: Gloria with Julia Somerville (left) and Angela Rippon

‘When I said I was going to report him to the police, he became very aggressive and started threatening me’ seep through to the property’s foundations. Again, the owner agreed to have the problem rectified. The pool of water on the bay window sill was further evidence, it was claimed, that the house would suffer from subsidence before long.

Gloria explains: “The poor man had just lost his mother so he wasn’t thinking entirely straight. Before long, big machinery was turning up outside the house and he was doling out thousands of pounds in cash for work he never knew needed doing.

“By then, he was getting frightened that he might lose his house to subsidence. That was when the conman pointed out that he’d be much better to sell the house, clear the debts he’d run up and downsize to something more manageable.

“He agreed and now he’s living in rented accommodation with little or no money to his name. It

Tell Gloria your story...

Have you, or a member of your family, fallen victim to a cowboy builder or rogue tradesman who has pestered you through cold calling? What happened next? If you got the better of a rogue, how did you do it? What tips could you share about how to deal with people you suspect of carrying out doorstep crime? Your letter could be selected and read out during the series.

Email Gloria at: Gloria@objective productions.com or write to: Gloria Hunniford, Doorstep Crime Team, Objective Productions, 3rd Floor Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7PB. The closing date to get your story in is the end of March 2012.

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some building work on my garage showed up one day saying that he was working close by and would be happy to patch up my driveway for me. It needed it so I said yes. He wanted £300 to pay for the hire of the machinery and tools and, because I knew him, I handed it over in cash.

“I left the house a few days later with a smooth, pink driveway and arrived home to a yellow, loose stone one. So I rang him up and asked what was going on. When I said I was going to report him to the police, he became very aggressive and started threatening me. I wasn’t sure what to do but my husband, Stephen, urged me to put it down to experience and I decided he was right. I’d more or less wasted £300 but I’d learned a valuable lesson.”

Compared with some of the stories the programme has uncovered, Gloria now knows she got away lightly. She says: “A well-dressed man knocked on the front door of one man in his 60s and pointed out that he had a couple of bad cracks in his driveway. He said he could deal with them and gave the householder a reasonable quote.”

Later on, the conman said he’d noticed a dip in the drive in which rainwater could collect and

turns out that the man responsible for all of this was also scamming seven other people. The law eventually caught up with him and he was sent to prison for four years.”

Not all con artists appear on your doorstep. “Over the Christmas period, my producer was one of more than 800 people to hire cars which turned out to be a huge hoax. He’d seen an ad in one of the broadsheets.

As he wanted to visit his parents up north over Christmas, he got in touch.

“He was thrilled with the quote, sent off his deposit of £500 and waited for the delivery of the car on Christmas Eve morning, but no car ever materialised.

The hoaxers withdrew most of the money from all the trusting people involved and high-tailed it to South America from where they can’t be extradited.”

Now, Gloria is looking for other examples of people up and down the country who have been tricked out of money because they fell for a plausible proposition.

“Everyone we feature on the programme has been prepared to talk because, although they now realise how foolish they were, they wanted to share the experience and perhaps prevent others from being conned in the same way.”

❙ strap strap ❙ Grace Kelly gave her name to the famous Hermés handbag, and used it to conceal her bump when pregnant

What’s in We ladies are carrying less in our handbags than we did 60 years ago…

By Claire Williams and Joy Harris ou might think today’s younger generation are more likely to carry backbreaking bags filled with gadgets and beauty products, but the truth is we packed in more 60 years ago than we do today.

Smart phones mean that there is no need to carry an address book, diary, or even a pen. For many of us a supermarket or convenience store is just a short

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drive or walk away, so why carry spare tights or stockings?

Miniature deodorants, perfumes and hairsprays have literally taken the weight off our shoulders. Wouldn’t it have been great to leave those bottles of 4711 eau de cologne or large cans of Elnett hairspray at home?

Debit and credit cards mean we carry less cash.

Indeed PayYourWay. org.uk, which researched the contents of modern women’s

bags, says that over the next few years, we may do away with coins and notes. Sandra Quinn, from the PayYourWay.org.uk campaign, says: “Big strides in mobile technology have reduced what we carry, and the day’s not far off when we’ll use mobiles as Margaret alternatives to coins or cards.”

Thatcher is Early forerunners to thought to have given rise to the handbags appeared in term ‘handbagging’ Egyptian hieroglyphs, – now in the Oxford where people wore English Dictionary pouches around their – coined to waists, adorned by jewels describe how she dealt with to match their status. They adversaries.

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❙ now & then ❙ 1952… purse with

2012…

Smart phone; debit/credit cards; tissues; mini make-up bag; mini deodorant; headphones; umbrella; brush; mini can of hairspray; cardboard nail file; car keys

cash; cigarette case and lighter; embroidered cotton handkerchief; diary; Ponds lipstick; gloves; Parker fountain pen; address book; comb; pressed powder compact; spare pair of Kayser Bondor stockings; 4711 eau de cologne; L’Onglex clear nail varnish (for stopping ladders in stockings too!); humbugs; spare knicker elastic (plus needle and thread for running repairs); Kirby grips; metal nail file; ration book

Victoria Beckham has her own label in ‘posh’ handbags!

were mentioned in literature in the 14th century, and in the 16th century became more practical and made from materials such as leather or cloth. In the 17th century, when girls learned embroidery to make them better marriage prospects, bags featured finelystitched artwork. In the 18th century, bags were called reticules and used for rouge, face powder, a fan, scent bottle and visiting cards.

The term ‘handbag’ first appeared in the early 1900s for hand-held luggage carried by

PICS: JACQUES PORTAL; REX FEATURES; XPOSUREPHOTOS.COM

a handbag?

men, later adapted for women, with several compartments for opera glasses, cosmetics and fans.

One of Margaret Thatcher’s The Queen famous Prime Ministerial sparked a sales handbags sold for £25,000 frenzy when the at a charity auction last bespoke cream June. According to two leather handbag former royal reporters, she carried to Prince William’s where the Queen places wedding prompted a hers is a signal that she surge in orders from may need ‘rescuing’ at an the designer, event – and the make-up Launer. case she carries inside was a wedding present from Prince Philip 65 years ago in November. ✤ What’s indispensable in your handbag? Write to the usual address on page 3 and reveal all!

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Finding flattering skirts can be tricky and it’s easy to get it wrong. Make the most of your figure with these skirts to suit every shape and size

Skirts to s

By Michelle Nightingale

dEFinES youR wAiST TuMMy conTRoL

PHOTOGRaPHY RUTH JENkINSON; STYlIST JO WINcH; HaIR aNd MakE-UP SaRaH JaNE GREEN aNd HaNaN TOUHaMI

FLATTERS TALL FRAMES

✤ A slim, long-line pencil skirt that sits below the knee will flatter tall frames, yet at the same time it can also add curves to small frames.

Heather wears: Beige pencil skirt (with belt), £20, s-l, Fashion Union; print blouse, £25, 10-20, Next; shoes, £14.99, 3-9, deichman 40

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✤ Hour-glass shapes will look great in Fifties-style flared skirts, while a belt at the waist will also help to define your waist and flatter your curves. kathy wears: Flared skirt (with belt), £28, 8-20, Next; top, £17, 6-24, Isme; shoes, £29, 3-8, Marks & Spencer

✤ Skirts with wider waistbands offer great tummy control and the changing stripe pattern of this skirt would flatter bottomheavy shapes by skimming over a bigger bum and thighs.

Heather wears: Blue and white stripe skirt, £39, 8-18, lands’ End; white t-shirt, £2.50, 8-18, Primark; pumps, £25, 3-9, Next

S tyle e p a h s r u o y it u os notes

The long and the short of it

✤ On the knee Skirts that sit on the knee or slightly below are safe for all shapes and sizes. ✤ Above the knee Hemlines above the knee can look great if your legs are one of your best assets or if you’re a slim petite, but can be unforgiving on wrinkly knees. ✤ Mid-length skirts look great on tall, leggy frames, but should be avoided if you have wide legs or chunky calves.

GREAT FoR PEAR SHAPES

cLEVER dETAiL

PERFEcT PLEATS

nEXT iSSuE Spring trends you can wear at 50-plus

✤ This skirt, with its classic and flattering style, proves that pleats are perfect for grown-ups, too. Team lightweight, floaty fabrics with tailored tops to create shape. kathy wears: Needle pleat skirt, £25, 12-24, Bonmarché; top, £25, 10-20, Next; shoes, £22, 3-9, Brantano

✤ Pencil skirts high on the waist can help streamline curves and the stripes help to elongate your frame and slim your bottom half.

Heather wears: colour block skirt, £35, 8-22, Marks & Spencer; blouse, £26, s-l, apricot; shoes, £25, 3-9, New look; bangle, £12, Next

✤ The pleats of this stylish skirt are great for disguising a tummy and bigger thighs. kathy wears: Front pleat skirt, £22, 10-20, Next; blouse, from £20, 12-24, Marisota; shoes, £29.50, 3-8, Marks & Spencer; bangles, £8 for the set, Next YOURS

✤ Long-length skirts long skirts should fall to your anklebones, any longer and you could end up looking shorter than you are. long skirts can swamp small petite frames, but can look great on tall frames.

STOCKISTS: Apricot www. apricotonline.co.uk; Bonmarché 0845 202 4490; Brantano 0870 990 1600; Deichman 01858 468546 www.deichmann.com; Fashion Union 0844 573 0900 www. fashionunion.com; Isme 0844 811 8112; Lands’ End 0845 0123 000; Marisota 0871 231 2000; Marks & Spencer 0845 302 1234; New Look 0500 454 094; Next 0844 844 8939; Primark 0118 960 6300.

Details correct at time of going to press. Unfortunately we can’t guarantee availability during sale season.

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How to...

pay less tax in ret

PICS: ALAMY; THINKSTOCK

We all want a financially secure retirement, but new research says 91 per cent of women are wasting money by not paying attention to their tax affairs. Yours money expert, Sarah Jagger, offers her top tips to become more tax-efficient – and hold on to more of your cash

Make time to sort out your finances – it could save you losing out to the taxman

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Tax and your savings

✤ Use your ISA allowance. “Pay less tax on your savings and enjoy better returns with an Individual Savings Account. You can invest up to £10,680 per tax year of which £5,340 can be in cash,” says Danny Cox of Hargreaves Lansdown. For current ISA rates, check the best buy tables in most national newspapers or visit http://moneyfacts.co.uk ✤ Spread deposit accounts between couples. “Arrange your accounts to maximise use of personal allowances. Each person has an allowance of £7,475 if your individual income is below this figure, you shouldn’t pay tax on interest earned,” says Danny.

Complete form R85 (available from your bank or building society) to ensure your interest is paid without tax deducted. ✤ Maximise age allowances.

“If you’re over 65 with income of less than £24,000 a year, your tax allowance becomes £9,940 (rather than the £7,475), so you can earn £2,465 more before

etirement paying tax. For a couple both aged 65 or over, the total tax-free figure becomes £19,880,” says Barry Kernon of HW Fisher. ✤ HMRC can make mistakes.

Check your tax code is correct and reflects your current situation (especially in age allowances) by contacting your local tax office.

Tax and forward planning

✤ Plan to avoid inheritance tax.

Following a death the government assesses how much the estate is worth, including cash in a bank, investments, and any property (not the principal property). The inheritance tax (IT) threshold is £325,000 – anything over that will be liable for tax at 40 per cent. “Make sure you have a will, and if your estate is likely to be over the IT threshold speak to a financial advisor about how your beneficiaries may be able to avoid IT,” advises Ian Lowes at Lowes Financial Management.

✤ Give away money to reduce your estate – but you then have to survive for seven years for many of these gifts to escape the inheritance tax net. However, within that last seven years, the Revenue does allow gifts of up to £3,000 each tax year. Unlimited gifts up to £250 a person per tax year are exempt, as are payments of up to £5,000 for wedding gifts.

To keep the taxman happy and avoid any misunderstanding (for instance, in the case of later family disputes) write to the recipient saying this is an outright gift.

UNDER

Individual’s income allowance

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£7,475 per year (for April 2011-2012)

Individual’s income allowance

£9,940

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PLUS

per year (for April 2011-2012)

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PLUS

Tax and your pension

✤ If you have a personal pension from which you haven’t yet taken any benefits, you are entitled to take 25 per cent as a tax-free cash lump sum. “Bear in mind choosing this option will reduce your monthly pension payments offered, but it may be worth considering,” says Andrew Hagger from moneyextra.com

Your car and tax

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PLUS

Couple’s income allowance

£19,880 per year (for April 2011-2012)

Tax and your investments

✤ Shelter investments, including unit or investment trusts “If you want to shelter gains on unit or investment trusts from being taxed then sell them below the tax threshold of £10,600 and you won’t give any cash to the government,” says Francis Klonowski of financial planners Klonowski and Co.

Make money and tax

✤ The Rent a Room scheme means you can take in a lodger to live in a furnished room and earn up to £4,250pa without incurring income tax liability. Place an advertisement in your local shop or list your spare room on www.crashpadder.com

Tax help C 0.9 Fiat 5002-door ir A in Tw TAX L ROAD ANNUA

£NIL

✤ Drive a fuel-efficient car.

“You don’t pay road tax on some car makes including the Fiat 500C 0.9 TwinAir2d. This emits less than 100g/km CO2 emissions compared to a Citroen C3 1.6 with 158g/km

C31.6 Citroen AD TAX R L O ANNUA

£165

emissions and a 12-month £165 road tax price tag. As emissions are directly linked to fuel consumption, you’ll also save on fuel costs – and therefore fuel duty,” says Vanessa Guyll from the AA.

✤ Find a specialist adviser at www.unbiased.co.uk – whose research found most women lose out by not maximising tax breaks – or ask friends for recommendations.

TaxHelp for Older People (TOP) offers NEXT ISSUE free advice to older How to get people on lower the most from incomes. Call 0845 your GP 601 3321 or see www.taxvol.org.uk Turn the page for more advice YOURS

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y star chat y

My lessons from life…

actress Gaynor Faye, about to appear as an Emmerdale regular, chats about dream jobs and religion

can land your DYou dream job!

believe in forcing any kind of faith or religion on my children. They know my beliefs and don’t think it’s strange when I start chanting, for instance. Lily sometimes does it with me.

I’m playing feisty, hard-headed businesswoman Megan Macey (Declan’s half sister) in Emmerdale and it’s brilliant. I’ve always loved the show as a viewer and now I’m in it – in its 40th anniversary year as well! The people are lovely – which is so important – and working in Leeds means I get to go home every night.

DI love to write

TV scripts have always been a big part of my life as my mum is the screenwriter, Kay Mellor.

I’ve always read her scripts, made comments and suggested things, but I was the official script editor on her forthcoming series, The Syndicate, about a group of people who win the lottery. I love writing myself, although acting is my first love.

DIt’s never too late

Before I took part in the first series of Dancing on Ice in 2007, I’d always regretted giving up dancing as a child. But then suddenly there I was, dancing again. You can do anything you like – it’s never too late! I now wish I’d never given up piano lessons as a kid, but you know what? I can take lessons now if I like. Why not?

My children, Oliver, ten, and Lily, seven, both have lessons and I’m tempted to ask their teacher to stay on for an extra hour so she can teach me!

I discovered Buddhism when I was 21. Until I found Buddhism, it did feel like something was missing. I don’t practise as much as I used to, but it’s definitely made me happier. acting is so uncertain and you get so many rejections, it’s comforting to think that things happen for a reason – and if they don’t happen, they just weren’t meant to be.

Faith can’t be forced. I don’t 138

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It may be a cliché, but it’s true and is at the root of Buddhism.

Who knows what will happen tomorrow? You can’t change what’s already happened so, although it’s not always easy, try to be ‘in the moment’.

Gaynor believes that Buddhism has made her happier. Left, with her mum, Kay Mellor

D Gaynor’s first appearance in Emmerdale is on Tuesday, February 21.

D Gaynor was talking to Alison James

WHAT MADE YOU WHO YOU ARE TODAY? The love and support of my family, but also my bloody-mindedness. When I was starting out as an actress, I was told I’d never make it unless I moved from my home town of Leeds to London.

It was like a red rag to a bull. I was determined I would have a decent career and that I would stay put. I’m very happy to say I have – on both counts.

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Buddhism can bring peace

in the present DLive and enjoy today