Residents At Hindhead Care Home Enjoy First Ride On New Trishaw Bike
Residents at a Surrey care home have been able to enjoy their first trip out on a new trishaw bike – enjoying a sunlit sightseeing tour of the estate where the home is located thanks to the efforts of a cycling charity.
Cycling Without Age, a volunteer-led scheme which uses ‘pilots’ to take older members of the community out cycling, has recently completed fundraising efforts for its Guildford chapter, which enabled it to purchase a brand new trishaw bike for use in the community.
Last week, residents at the Huntington & Langham Estate in Hindhead, whose staff helped fundraise for the endeavour, were delighted to feel the rush of wind through their hair again and to enjoy the general thrill of being on a bike – which in this instance is similar to a rickshaw, but with the person pedalling sat behind the passengers.
With a pilot from Cycling Without Age doing both the pedalling and steering, residents were able to sit back, relax and enjoy the tour taking in the sights of the estate, which includes a vibrant mixture of farm animals, greenery and wildlife thanks to its extensive grounds.
The trishaw is now permanently established in the local community, providing residents of the estate with the opportunity to enjoy regular bike rides, courtesy of the scheme’s volunteer pilots.
Charlie Hoare, Director of the Huntington & Langham Estate commented: “At the Huntington & Langham Estate we are always exploring ways to help our residents to continue to experience and enjoy the things they love in life. We’re also huge advocates of the outdoors and we do all we can to connect our residents with outside. We’re blessed to have vast grounds at the estate, which provides a great deal of enjoyment for people who live here. Last year, I was astounded to learn we had the Barry – the original trailblazer of the acclaimed off-road cycling route in Surrey known as ‘Barry Knows Best’ – living with us at the home.”
Charlie continued: “He’s a true pioneer of the Surrey mountain biking scene and a celebrated local mountain biker, who’s a prime example of a resident who would love to experience the sensation of a bike ride again – so we explored the options that would allow Barry to do so. That’s when we discovered Cycling Without Age; a charity which looks to facilitate just that. This brilliant scheme has also given us another resource to help our residents enjoy the beautiful outside space of the estate. ”
Caroline commented: “We are so pleased we are able to contribute to the well-being of the residents by providing a different experience which further encourages enjoyment of the outdoors and certainly puts some smiles on everyone’s faces, including ours!”
Charlie Hoare added: “It’s a tremendous initiative and we’re delighted to get involved. We have a unique outdoor environment on the estate, including a variety of farm animals and other outdoor attractions. Being able to take residents on bike rides just serves to open up even more opportunity for those who live with us, as well as those in the wider community through the Cycling Without Age Scheme.”
