Aerial Edge in Ibrox shows it is never too late to fly on the trapeze

When Moira McGhee retired, she thought she would spend more time relaxing. Instead, the 69-year-old Glaswegian now spends three nights a week learning flying trapeze, aerial skills and circus fitness at Aerial Edge, the circus school near the Ibrox roundabout.

Moira, a retired engineer and former college lecturer, discovered Aerial Edge in 2023 after overhearing someone talking about it during an aerial yoga class. She went along to an open day at the age of 66, worried she would be the oldest person there and that everyone else would have a gymnastics background.

Instead, she loved it straight away. She says something about it clicked and she has never looked back. People put limits on themselves as they get older before they have even tried something, she says, and she does not believe there are things you are too old to start.

Before retiring, Moira worked in electrical and electronics engineering and later taught engineering at college. Now she describes the adrenaline rush of standing on the platform ready to go, and the feeling of finally landing a trick properly. She jokes that she tells people she is going flying tonight before every class, because that is genuinely what it feels like. Her goal is to still be doing it when she is 90.

Aerial Edge was founded in 2007 and is Scotland's largest circus school. It is a not-for-profit organisation with classes for all abilities, from toddlers to pensioners, as well as professional training and sponsored places for people who face barriers to taking part. Its philosophy is that anyone can do circus, regardless of age, body type or experience.

This summer the school brought circus to the city as part of the Glasgow 2026 Festival, supported by the festival fund, with free taster sessions at Govan Cross and Silverburn and a main event at the Ibrox school in July. Its performers and participants range in age from one to their seventies.

Moira's advice to anyone thinking about trying something new is simple: just come along once.

Aerial Edge is at Unit 12, Edmiston Trade Park, 240 Edmiston Drive, Glasgow, G51 2YU. Classes can be booked at aerialedge.co.uk.