AUDLEY Clevedon has raised a grand total of £254.14 for the British Heart Foundation thanks to some serious pedal power from its owners, staff and members of the local community.

As part of an initiative to encourage people to visit retirement villages and experience the healthy lifestyle they offer, the Associated Retirement Community Operators (ARCO) challenged local volunteers to cycle the distance from Land’s End to John O’Groats – a whopping 603 miles – on stationary bikes during its Wellbeing Weekend in September.

Audley Clevedon in Ilkley hit the target with the help of its owners and staff, as well as local fitness fanatics. Peter Calendar – a member of the Audley Club – even put in two stints, clocking up more than 40 miles in total.

The Wellbeing Weekend also featured a healthy choice menu in the bistro, demonstrations with the village’s personal trainers, and spa treatments.

Donna Peachey, Village Manager at Audley Clevedon, said: “It was a brilliant event, not only have we raised funds for a fantastic cause, we’ve also encouraged more people – owners, staff and members of the community alike – to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. The Audley Club is open to members of the local community as well as Audley owners, so it was a lovely opportunity to showcase the facilities we have on offer too. It was great to see everyone get into the spirit and really enjoy the challenge.”

Research released by ARCO to coincide with the Wellbeing Weekends revealed that 66 per cent of older people would like to be more physically active, in fact over a third of 1,000 respondents aged 65 or older identify themselves as ‘not very’ or ‘not at all’ active. Of those who were less active and wanted to be more active, nearly one in five (19 per cent) said they’d be more likely to go to a gym if they had a friend to go with, and 22 per cent said it was the cost of using fitness facilities that put them off.

The ARCO Wellbeing Weekend aimed to combat this and encourage older people to live healthier lifestyles through open days held by members of the UK trade body for retirement villages and extra care housing.