Time for change ?

I was made redundant in my early fifties and, not wanting to go back to the office, retrained as a florist. I love it. Still doing some work at 65, though as our work is mostly weddings, not much lately! My only regret is that I did not do it earlier. Go for whatever it is you have a slight hankering to try!

You say your were "laid off"- is that the same as taking early retirement/voluntary redundancy? How does it affect your local govenment pension entitlement?
Just one other point: what are your family circumstances? People in their 50s can find themselves caring for elderly parents or other relatives.
Do you primarily want a paying job or do you want - and can you afford - to look for an occupation you enjoy, even if it isn't well-paid?
There are lots of positions in the voluntary sector which are
not paid - or just paid expenses. You might be able to use your local goverment experience in some of these. How about being a school governor or clerk to your local parish council? Now the libraries are open again you will be able to find out what is available in your local area.
Best of luck.

Have you considered volunteering your gardening skills?
It's amazing how the universe takes care of things once we make ourselves available in.service to others -you need to decide what your priorities are!

Try looking at part time jobs at your local leisure centre. They are open long hours and every day, and often need people on the desk, so long as your flexible with your hours/days etc. Usually found under your local council website. Good luck.

I found myself in a similar situation a few years ago after 32 FT years local government service. Initially thought I would find it difficult to find suitable employment after being ‘institutionalised’ for so long. However successfully applied for a job in NHS and have reduced my working days to 4 and hope to reduce further soon. There are so many opportunities and if you don’t need a job straight away take your time and consider all your options. It did feel like a bereavement at the time and you will probably need to readjust to your new situation. Enjoy this new chapter.

If you do decide to go self employed, do make sure to charge enough, factor in expenses and downtime.
Maybe think how much you earned per hour when employed and at least double it.

Goodness! I am fascinated by this thread - so different from any of my own experience - you say you could even consider moving!
I am with those who say 'do nothing for awhile'. A shortish gap on a cv is not a problem for someone who has worked as long as you have. I would however consider the pension implications - you could 'sign on' but may not want the hassle. Look at paying voluntary NI contributions for awhile.

If you could consider moving, you might want to go somewhere you fancy, stay in an airbnb or with a friend / relative and look about.
You could sign on with an agency, often a good way to see what is in demand and try new things.
It does seem that gardening / small handy jobs are very much in demand. If you can afford to bring in a smallish, irregular income, you could look at that. But be aware that any self-employment, especially something that relies on physical skills may not be reliable long-term. However, sounds like you could give it a go!
About 50 years ago I met a lovely lady, of the generation that anything out-of-the-ordinary was called 'bohemian'. She had made her living at lots of things, and finally, at your age, decide to live as frugally as she could. She sunk all her money into a small house with a decent bit of land, and spent her days growing fruit & veg, tending to pigs and chickens, and bartering.
Will you keep us informed?

Market stall ?
Farmers market very popular here.
Plenty of homemade pickles and jam etc.

Plant stall.
Hanging baskets at this time of year.
If you have space available, buy job lots of organic compost bag up and advertise at local allotments and on face book
(delivery charge).

I know of someone who has actually taken on a milk round delivering to care homes and schools.

Home Milk (plus extras) deliveries have become very popular due to the pandemic.

Our local agricultural college
(pre covid) did lots of outside type courses
Also flower arranging.

I suppose it depends on how much you like the outdoors in all weathers.

Female plumbers (Qualified) are worth their weight in gold as are painter and decorators and gardeners.

I think Septimia's is a good idea .I was going to suggest something less taxing , hope you find something you enjoy, it makes a big difference. Can I come .? ?

What's your skill set? You might be able to build on your skills and knowledge as a rights of way officer. County councils are usually short staffed in this area. What about working for an environmental charity or as a warden in a housing scheme, maybe one with a garden. Our local almshouses have a wonderful warden who is on call but does a wonderful.job in keeping the grounds lovely. If it's live in position, you could also rent your house out, to see how it works out for you.
I'd be careful about volunteering if it means taking away paid employment opportunities from the younger generation, as they have been the biggest group to lose work as a result of impact of Covid restrictions.

What about getting an allotment where you can grow produce and maybe flowers you that you could make posies, hanging baskets, etc to sell. Then in the winter you could make Christmas wreaths and displays, you can find bits for those in the hedgerows. People buy a lot of those for their homes and to maybe put on graves.

I was made redundant in 2001. I was terrified because I had a large mortgage. I left no stone unturned to regain employment but it was a terribly anxious time for several weeks without work. Someone once said to me "See redundancy as an opportunity" & indeed that was true for me. After 18momths in an employment wilderness doing a job which was demanding and not that enjoyable, I ended up with a dream job & retired from it on the crest of a wave. If you are looking to find a "niche" be patient & I'm sure a new place in your working life will reveal itself. Good luck!

Thankyou for all your suggestions ! All very good food for thought...great to have a neutral perspective on things.
One week in....enjoying the “break”...the weather is a bit of a bonus !
Volunteering.....well, I did sign up for the Red Cross at the beginning of lockdown 2020.....heard nothing, but was contacted recently about volunteering at the “mass vaccine centres”. Whilst I appreciate they have protocol to follow, you really had to jump through hoops to get any position.....I was asked to attend a weekend training session (9.30am 50 miles away) for St John’s Ambulance. I explained I had First Aid at Work Cert and would be happy to take a logistics (traffic management role) at the vaccine centre, but they were insistent that ALL staff must have the same level of training no matter what role.....

I shall take all of your points onboard and do some procrastination. Thankyou all !

Gardening would give you an opportunity to divide your interests between summer and winter . Post delivery would get you outside too and could be all year round. If you have an interest in education a lit if outdoor nurseries are springing up so that could be something to train for. Just take time, look around at what's going on around you for ideas of what folk are doing to see how their roles would fit you. Good Luck

With your office skills you might be able to find employment as a virtual assistant. Also have you thought about working as a teaching assistant? You could apply to an agency and they will do the crb checks and find work for you .

Paramedic? Very worthwhile job.