Overview Name: Harold Carter
Age: 66
Harold has only one son (Chris, 25), and two grand-daughters (Milly, 4) and (Claire, 2). Harold divorced his wife, seven years ago, because their relationship broke down and they went for days without speaking to each other despite living in the same house. He lives in a small rural town, on the edge of a commuting area for London. Harold has no physical disabilities, and is perfectly fit.
A Day in the Life
Harold usually gets up at around 8.30am, and has a nutritious breakfast, of orange juice and weetabix, while reading his favourite newspaper, the Times. His morning routine is usually clockwork and by 9.30am, he is ready to begin his day. Since he retired a year ago, Harold has found time for many sporting activities and likes to socialise and take part in community activities, daily. He is a trusted leader of the local neighbourhood watch scheme and very popular in his local community. Each day usually contains a different activity, ranging from golf, to tennis, and bowls. He also enjoys the odd game of poker with his pals fortnightly. He generally has a healthy lunch, usually consisting of salad, which means his dinner can be more substantial. On his nights off, he has a quiet night in and watches TV. He usually heads off to bed quite early, in preparation for the next day. He is visited weekly by his family on Sundays, the day Harold puts aside as a day of rest from his leisurely life.
Work Activities
Harold retired at the age of 65 having spent most of his working life as a carpenter for a local firm supplying building materials to different businesses. He believes real jobs involve manual labour and despises people earning millions from one good idea.
Household and Leisure Activities
Harold is a very keen tennis player and still plays tennis for his local club despite his age. The club arranges 50+ senior days where the courts are booked for members over a certain age, to act as a social community centre for the elderly. In between playing tennis, he enjoys playing golf with his pal (Grandpa Sully, 64) who is also a divorcee. Harold enjoys the banter during his golf games and has been known to wear slippers around the course which has angered the golf management at the club. Another one of his social pastimes is bowls, which he usually plays on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Harold is a keen bowler and has represented his county at national level. As well as the sporting activities, Harold enjoys other activities on a community level, attending weekly poker games arranged by a friend in his garage. Due to his heavy sporting regime and appearance at community meetings, Harold finds little time to watch TV and relax at home. He tries to spend as much time out the house as possible to make the most of his life. When he does have time off, he enjoys listening to the radio and watching Panorama. His views on the household are that it’s designed for rest and rest only.
Goals, Fears, and Aspirations
Harold’s aim since retiring is to make the most out of life while he is still fit, hence taking part in a range of sporting activities and his involvement within the community. He also wants to spend time with his family while he is still mobile. One of his prominent fears is becoming injured somehow, meaning his social life will never be the same again. He also fears for his son’s health who is a maniac while driving on the roads. Harold aspires to continue his sporting prowess, and represent the clubs for which he plays. He also aspires to live as long as he can, proving a healthy lifestyle is the key to living longer. He despises old people who spend their retired years in the pub, wasting their money.
Computer Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities
Harold is computer illiterate and struggles to use his home computer when he needs to, which was built by his son, a computer science graduate. Once he has mastered a device such as the video recorder, it provides no obstacles for him in the future. His main problem is that he usually struggles getting started with most devices. His knowledge on technology is ever growing as he enjoys cutting out newspaper articles for his son to read.
Demographic Attributes
Harold lives in a detached cottage, in a quiet town, and has plenty of garden space. The majority of other people in the area are also retired. There is a local train station which means access to the larger towns in the area is possible. The local bus service was decommissioned a couple of years ago, after the majority of people in the area use the train to travel.
Technology Attributes and Attitudes
Harold uses little technology in the home, but once he has mastered a device, he has no problems with it there after. He is neither a fan nor a hater of technology and believes technology should be embraced on certain levels.
Communicating
Harold usually contacts people by telephone, but in some cases such as friends who moved abroad, he is also fond of writing mail. He has yet to master e-mail, because he keeps forgetting his password for his e-mail account.
Quotes
“It’s the taking part that counts”
Overview