'Fun' at the core of exercise classes for elderly

A group of elderly people who attended a strength and conditioning class at a boxing gym in north Lancashire described the experience as "great fun".

The free session was held at Leo's Gym in Morecambe, a community gym set up by Emma and Lee Mountain in honour of their son, Leo, a North West Region boxing champion, who died last year at the age of 18.

Coach Carrie Bradburn said Leo's parents "wanted to make sure that something good and positive came out of something tragic".

The classes were organised by Ashleigh Bird, care manager at Westmorland Homecare's Lancaster and Morecambe branch, to improve the wellbeing and social lives of their clients.

"The sessions involve very gentle exercises and are aimed at an older clientele to maintain or build strength," according to Bird.

"We have been doing a lot of work to try to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and a lot of older people who go into hospital do so because of falls so we want to do what we can to prevent that.

"Everyone was smiling and having fun and the two strength and conditioning coaches running the class were brilliant."

The company provides care to enable vulnerable and often frail adults live independently in their own home.

The new exercise sessions are running on a six-week trial basis and if they prove popular Westmorland Homecare will continue to fund them after that.

Bradburn said the sessions "involve gentle exercise work to develop core strength, mobility and movement, are fun and an opportunity for those who attend to meet like-minded people".

The 40-minute classes, which are held every Tuesday morning are free to attend, are open to anyone at the gym at Whitefield Place, Morecambe.

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