I thought I'd retire at 60 but had to work six more years

DESPITE WORKING SINCE THE AGE OF 14 WOMAN FACED DEVASTATING BLOW AGED 59

- JAMES HOLT & MELISSA MAJOR

A WOMAN who worked from the age of just 14 was told just months before retirement that she had to work for six more years in a devastating blow.

Kathleen Jolley, from Wigan, had worked in a school setting for more than 40 years and was in full-time employment from the age of 19. She had started making plans for her retirement at 59, meaning she would be able to give her full attention to her elderly mother who required care.

But after informing her employer of her plans to retire at 60, Kathleen was told the State Pension age had been increased, something she said she was never informed about.

“I have worked since I was 14 part-time and I’ve worked full-time since I was 19. At the time the pension age was 60, and it was always bred into you that it was 60,” Kathleen said.