Airth care home residents riding high with cycling initiative

Neil Millar, general store manager Asda Stenhousemuir pictured centre with Christine Bell, Cycling Without Age Scotland; Rebecca Mclaughlin, manager Airthrey Care Nursing Home and Leigh-Anne Bridgeman, community champion Asda Stenhousemuir.

Staff at Airthrey Care Home were inspired to start fundraising to buy a trishaw after a visit from Cycling Without Age Scotland, an initiative which recruits and trains volunteer ‘pilots’ to ride specially designed trishaw bikes that can carry two passengers.

However, the nursing home reached its target much sooner than expected, thanks to a donation from local supermarket, Asda.

The Asda Foundation Fund donated the trishaw as part of funding given to the group Communities Along the Carron Association (CATCA), the charity which brought Cycling Without Age to Falkirk in 2016.

And the rest of its £18,975 contribution will be used to establish the inactive in other parts of Falkirk.

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Rebecca McLaughlin, manager at Airthrey, said: “The contribution from CATCA’s funding via the Asda Foundation Fund was such a wonderful surprise – we are completely overwhelmed but really excited to have finally been able to purchase our trishaw.

“All our staff and residents’ friends and families have worked so hard with fundraising and we really do appreciate it.”

CATCA recently formed Cycling Without Age Scotland SCIO, with funding from the Scottish Government, to enable care settings across the country establish the initiative as a regular activity for all who can benefit from it.

Christine Bell, executive officer of Cycling Without Age, said: “Being able to get out and about in the fresh air and socialise with the local community is so important for our residents and the trishaw allows us to do just that.

“From the moment we visited Airthrey Care Home, it was clear they were dedicated to making this fantastic initiative happen for their residents.

“We have already recruited pilots from the area including some of the care home staff and are ready to get the wheels rolling along some of the beautiful routes around Falkirk.”