45 hrs is only the minimum
Hi sigibbons,
First of all, I agree with what Gertrude has said already.
I would point out, however, that the PPL is not '45 hour course'. It is a course for which the minimum flying training permitted is 45 hrs. In practice, most people take much more, typically more like 70 hrs.
The quickest and (possibly still the cheapest) way to get a PPL is to go off to Florida for 28 days and do it full time. (Having passed all your ground school exams before you go). You will then require a little extra training on your return to acclimatise you to UK RT, small grass aerodromes and weather.
If by contrast you are only able to afford one flying lesson a fortnight, bearing in mind the UK's rotten weather, then it could easily take a couple of years and over 100 hrs to get PPL.
Whether you join a syndicate after PPL, or merely hire from a club, depends on how much flying you intend to do annually. If you intend to do less than about fifteen hours, it would probably not be worth joining a syndicate, (where you would have to pay at least £50 a month standing charges before you do any flying). Furthermore, so far as I'm aware, except perhaps for the large non-equity groups, most syndicates are not particularly welcoming to those who intend to do minimal hours.
I suggest you take a look at three axis microlight flying instead. The aircraft used by the microlighting community are mostly better than ours and much cheaper to operate.
Good luck!
BroomstickPilot.