Elderly care home residents have cycled over 14 miles, raising over £450 for an allotment and the Alzheimer’s Society.

Specially-adapted bicycles allowed the residents of Waverley Lodge Care Home, in Lemington, Newcastle, to cover the distance. They were joined by staff, family and friends, who all cycled from the home, on Bewick Crescent, to Wylam Hills Farm and back.

The bicycles were rented from Newburn Leisure Centre, which had them made to enable the elderly and those with a disability to take part in cycling.

Resident Kenneth Sandercock, 73, said: “I wanted to pedal the full distance as I’m getting fit. I’m over the moon I made it there and back. It was a really good time.”

Julie Booth, Waverley Lodge Care Home Manager, said: “I am so proud of the residents who took part, as well as the staff and families who gave their time for a great event.

“We want to thank Newburn Leisure Centre for letting us hire the bicycles for a reduced price. The support we receive from the wider community is so important.”

Cycling activities have proven highly beneficial for residents at the home, who regularly take part in physical exercise.

Julie added: “We have found that residents who take part in regular activity, such as cycling, have greatly improved their mobility and overall wellbeing.

“Residents who were previously in a wheelchair are now able to walk with a frame and are much more stable on their feet.”

The funds raised have been split between Alzheimer’s Society and the home’s plans to create an allotment for the residents.

£100 will go to the charity, as part of a wider fundraising effort by the Hill Care Group, which owns Waverley Lodge.

The managing director of Hill Care, Wendy Waddicor, completed a 340-mile London to Paris cycle ride during the summer, raising over £10,000 in total with help from the Group’s other homes.

The allotment will give green fingered residents a chance to plant their own flowers, fruit and vegetables in the Spring next year.

Julie added: “It is well known gardening and working with plants is very beneficial for people of all ages.

“Many of our residents used to have allotments and grew their own fruit and veg, so we wanted to give them a place to continue their passion and reminisce about past harvests.”

www.hillcare.net