An 85-year-old Huntingdon care home resident had the chance to re-live her dream of getting back on a racing bike 60 years since she was a champion cyclist.
Jean Chambers, from Ferrars Hall Care Home, was one of seven children and taught herself to ride a bike as a child and cycling quickly became a life-long passion.
As part of the care home’s ‘Make a Wish’ initiative, residents were given the opportunity to tell staff about somewhere they had always wanted to go or a special activity they had always wanted to do.
Jean, who is originally from Edinburgh, wished to see a Dawes racing bike again.
She had the fastest legs in the Edinburgh Road Club back in the 1950s on her original Dawes bike and was keen to get one again.
The team of well-being coordinators at Ferrars Hall phoned lots of local bike stores before speaking to Mark Abbott of Richardson Cycles in St Ives who was happy to arrange for Ferrars Hall Care Home to borrow a Dawes racing bike for the day.
“The smile on Jean’s face when she was able to get on the bike was just priceless,” said home manager Susan Dunnell.
“We’d like to thank Richardson Cycles for helping us to make this happen, it was wonderful to see Jean today, clearly she was still as keen as ever to cycle.”
Jean was eager to tell staff how she loved to cycle and feel the fresh air blowing in her face and the wind in her hair.
She had lots of stories about biking to work every day in Edinburgh City Centre.
She recalled how she was once stopped by the police, saying: “I was stopped by a Bobby on point duty, he blew his whistle and put his hand up and stopped me, I thought I’d done something wrong.
“But he said there was a young lad behind me who couldn’t catch me up, I was too fast for him!”.
Hannah Mills, customer relations manager, said the initiative was “a fantastic way to learn more about the residents”.
For more information about the home Hannah Mills or Maria Moore on 07568128215 or email hannah.mills@countrycourtcare.com
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