I have been very inspired by the recent story of Newcastle student Elsie Richardson, who, at 85, has just started her PhD.

This woman is no ordinary student. In the last 15 years she has obtained a degree AND a masters.
The mother of three missed out on the chance of further education when she was younger because of World War II.

At the age of 58, she retired from her job in insurance and turned her hand to volunteering for local groups and worked “very hard every day”.

Elsie Richardson, who is Northumbria University’s oldest student, is a real symbol of tenacity and hard work for those around her.

The grandmother, from High Heaton, battled against eight other students to win a bursary to study a PhD at Northumbria University. She said, “I thought ‘they’re sure to pick the youngsters, they’re bright young things instead of an old fogey like me’, however, I got it and I couldn’t believe it, and I’ve never stopped working since.”

Elsie enjoyed her degree saying, “Whenever (the other students) had spent all their money, I fed them and they used to come and have their dinner with me. Everywhere they took me, I went, and I’ve been to some funny places… I’ve been to parties where they’ve danced on tables! I had a wonderful three years doing my bachelors, I laughed the whole time.”

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in human organisation at 73, she then became a qualified psychotherapist at 75 after completing a masters in post natal depression.

Studying has become more difficult over recent years as Mrs Richardson suffers from diabetes, arthritis and macular degenerative disease – which means she is losing her sight.

In May Mrs Richardson was about to go on a cruise with her daughter when she was diagnosed with bowel cancer.

However, after an operation in July, she has since got the all-clear.

She said: “I’m very lucky to have got over this cancer because they’ve told me it’s completely cleared and they have no reason to believe it will come back.”

Mrs Richardson is writing her thesis about older people’s rights and their influence on policy making in the 21st Century.

“I say to anybody, it’s never too late. Go and try it, you don’t know what you can do until you try and nobody was more surprised than I was.”

Dr Mick Hill, from Northumbria University, who has worked with Mrs Richardson, said: “Elsie is a remarkable student – but not only because of her age. [She is] a person with tremendous passion and enthusiasm for her subject matter. I know this is driven by her strong personal sense of advocacy for older people. She is a highly effective spokesperson for her generation.”

Well, I read this article (on the BBC website) with real joy! Good on you Elsie!! What a greatly inspiring woman you are! If you can take on that kind of pressure at your age and fight off the opposition, you have really got something special!

It is never too late for us to achieve great things for God and the world we live in. Whether we have been asked to run a cake sale or a marathon, anything is possible when our strength is in Christ.

So if you are feeling burnt out, beaten down and washed up today, know this: God hasn’t finished with you yet! There is a plan and it is a good one!

There are tables out there that have not been danced on yet.