This October and November, across Nuneaton and Bedworth, Everyone Active is encouraging a greater number of over 60s to become physically and mentally active.
Now in its fifth year, Age is Just a Number celebrates the senior demographic by showcasing their fitness stories and proving what can be achieved by staying active into later life.
It launched on Sunday, 5 October, also known as Silver Sunday, the national day dedicated to celebrating older people and runs until Monday, 17 November.
Jubilee Sports Centre, Pingles Leisure Centre, and Bedworth Leisure Centre, run by award-winning operator Everyone Active in partnership with Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, are encouraging the older generation to visit their local centre and enjoy the wide range of activities on offer.
Everyone Active supports older people to exercise across the country throughout the year, with regular dedicated senior activity sessions already seeing more than 20,000 attendances each month.
To help older people to get active, we have spoken to some of our local senior members and heard just how transformative exercise can be.
Whether it is for weight loss, recovery from injury, improved mobility, fitness or social reasons, there is so much that exercise can do to improve quality of life.
John Sawyer, 79, plays pickleball three times a week at Jubilee Sports Centre in Nuneaton, alongside a weekly session of walking cricket.
He lives a five-minute bike ride from the centre and is determined to keep active following his recovery from both prostate cancer and artery surgery in recent years.
He said:
“Because I’ve had these health problems, I thought to myself, ‘I’ve got to keep going.
“I can’t sit down in front of the television all day, my dad told me when I was a youngster, ‘keep active all your life because you will find the benefits when you’re an old man’ and it’s working out that way for me.
“I wouldn’t say I am the fittest man of my age but I am reasonably fit. Pickleball keeps you on the move, it’s energetic. I consider it to be competition with fun and it’s the same with walking cricket.
“We all mix together and have a cup of tea afterwards. We are quite close.
“All the people I have met there over the past 18 months have been there for the same reason as me keeping fit. I will keep going until I can’t do it anymore.”
Lloyd Barraclough, Everyone Active’s Area Contract Manager, said:
“We are proud to offer our members a friendly and welcoming environment that motivates people of all ages to get active.
“Maintaining physical activity and keeping socially active is vitally important for older people in the local community.
“This campaign aims to inspire people to try a new activity or engage in simple exercises each week at home, helping people of all abilities discover the different ways they can enjoy exercise.”
Cllr Brady Hughes, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Health, said:
“This really is a wonderful initiative, and l would encourage more senior residents of our Borough to get involved, as age should be no barrier to keeping fit and healthy.
“With more than 230 centres across the country, Everyone Active offers activities for all ages, as well as specialised classes designed to appeal to everyone.
“It is never too late to start a form of exercise and this a perfect opportunity.
“Keeping healthy and strong as we age provides huge benefits such as rehabilitation from injuries or surgery, as well as increase to bone density and mobility, with a side effect of improving our mental health and of course meeting and making new friends.”
By signing up people can find out more about local senior sessions and receive inspirational videos from our fantastic senior members, as well as being in with a chance to win a six-month adult membership.
Proving that gyms, swimming pools and other activities are perfect for people of all ages to use and enjoy, watch our inspirational stories from older members across the country.