the over 70 thing is not quite true, you have to be in a quite narrow age band to get it free.
"Who can have the shingles vaccine?
Anyone aged 70 on September 1 2013 (born between 2/9/42 and 1/9/43) is eligible for the new shingles vaccine on the NHS.
If you were aged 79 on September 1 2013 (born between 2/9/33 and 1/9/34), you will also be able to have the shingles vaccine on the NHS as part of a catch-up programme.
If you were aged 71 to 78 on September 1 2013, your next opportunity to have the shingles vaccine will be when you reach the age of 79. The reason the shingles vaccination programme is being staggered this way, is that it would be impractical to vaccinate everyone in their 70s in a single year.
Anyone aged 80 and over on September 1 2013 will not be able to have the shingles vaccination on the NHS because it seems to be less effective as you get older. However, there may be some people aged 79 on September 1 2013 who will have turned 80 by the time they attend for vaccination, and they remain entitled to receive the vaccine."
You can get it privately. Its way cheaper and easier to get in the US which may be helpful if you take a holiday over there and don't mind the slight risk of getting side effects while on hols.
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/shingles-vaccination.aspx