IT’S been a hard year for good-news stories - you know, the heartwarming sort of story that can take the edge off the relentless tsunami of bad news that seems to have been seeking us out since the dawn of 2016. Off the top of my head, I can think of only one: a Scot has become the world’s top-ranked tennis player.

Now, belatedly, here’s another. It concerns an old soldier called Joe Bartley. A few weeks ago, Joe, who is 89, was sitting at home, staring at the four walls and fretting about the wretched prospect of terminal boredom. Today? Not only has he started a new job - and, with it, a new lease of life - but he has become something of a celebrity. His name is doing the rounds on Twitter, to widespread approval. He has even appeared on television.

I like Joe’s story because it speaks to his determination to keep going. His wife died a couple of years ago, and the couple had no children, so Joe lately found himself at a loose end, and then some. Rather than just accepting his fate, he took out an advert in his local paper, in Paignton, south Devon. It read: “Senior citizen, 89, seeks employment in Paignton area. 20hrs+ per week. Still able to clean, light gardening, DIY and anything. I have references. Old soldier, airborne forces. Save me from dying of boredom!”

It was an unusual sort of ad, and the response was overwhelming. A local baker offered him work, but the post was in north Devon, and too far for Joe to travel. But a cafe in Paignton, whose owners were evidently taken with Joe, have offered him a job. In an interview the co-owner said, “An 89-year-old putting himself out there and showing enthusiasm and proactivity? We can’t wait. Clearly he is an extremely likeable gent and his story really struck a chord with everyone. His personality and zest for life was his best quality in the interview and it will be a lot of fun having him around.”

As Joe himself told his local paper: “It’s crazy - I didn’t think this would happen. I just want enough to cover my rent. I don’t want to live on benefits.”

There’s another aspect to his tale, and it’s one we will all have to address sooner or later: what we do with ourselves, long after we retire? The grandkids will keep us busy (assuming we have any), but how do we keep our minds and bodies active?

As one expert observed last year, we worry about the same things throughout life - finances, well-being, loneliness - but our feeling that we can control such things changes as we get older. Joe has shown that, even on the cusp of your tenth decade, if you’re fortunate to still have all your faculties intact, it’s possible to make changes to the way you live.

Actually, there’s yet another aspect: loneliness. Joe spoke of having no-one to speak to in his block of flats. It was, he said, like solitary confinement. Yesterday The Herald reported that almost 65,000 older Scots will feel lonelier than ever during the festive season, through bereavement, immobility, or a lack of family nearby. It was a sobering story. Commendably, Age Scotland wants us to reach out to older people in our street or community. Joe’s words about solitary confinement give this invisible plight some sharp clarity.