MP visits Prior Bank care home as residents take part in summer cycling challenge, Get Set, Cycle

Paul Blomfield MP (Lab, Sheffield Central) visited Anchor’s Prior Bank care home on Cherry Tree Road on Thursday 29 July as residents cycled down memory lane, taking part in a national virtual cycling challenge. 

The Get Set, Cycle challenge, launched by Anchor, England’s largest not-for-profit provider of care and housing for people in later life, will see residents and colleagues across the country get on their bikes and virtually cycle the route between each of Anchor’s 126 locations, in a bid to keep healthy, maintain mental wellbeing and connect with others.

As the challenge reached Anchor’s Prior Bank care home, Mr Blomfield was in attendance to offer his support to all those at the home taking part and his thanks for the work of Anchor colleagues during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Residents and colleagues at Anchor’s Prior Bank care home used special equipment provided by Anchor, so people of all abilities can enjoy taking part. This includes floor pedals and Memoride – a virtual cycling platform for older people, which uses Google Maps to project images of towns or paths onto a screen. Through the coronavirus pandemic, Anchor ramped up the use of this technology to help residents to stay active while taking virtual trips to places familiar from their past.

After Anchor residents, colleagues and supporters smashed their initial target of cy-cling 2,102 miles, the equivalent of the Tour De France – the new target of 24,901 miles, the circumference of the Earth, is now well within their sights. 

Anchor’s Prior Bank care home’s residents and colleagues did their bit by cycling a combined total 217.3 miles over Wednesday and Thursday. Other activities at the home also included Chair Zumba and armchair aerobics with pom poms. 

Anchor will be pumping the breaks on Get Set, Cycle in November, with the challenge rounding off with an awards ceremony celebrating those who cycled the most miles throughout the campaign. 

Simone Clover, Manager of Anchor’s Prior Bank care home said: “We’re thrilled to be taking part in Get Set, Cycle and to have Paul Blomfield’s support.

“Physical activity is very important for our residents and we’re committed to ensuring everyone has the opportunity to get involved. Cycling is a great opportunity to exercise our bodies and minds, doing meaningful activities while also having fun. 

“After an extremely challenging year, Mr Blomfield’s support has helped our colleagues and residents feel recognised and his kind words were greatly appreciated”. 

Paul Blomfield, Labour MP for Sheffield Central, said: “I’m pleased that residents at Anchor’s Prior Bank care home have joined others from all over the country in the Get Set, Cycle challenge. Inactivity, with its impact on health and wellbeing, has been one of the many damaging consequences of the pandemic. So, it's encouraging to see so many people engaging in this initiative."

John Russell, 83, a resident at Prior Bank since August 2020, said: “It was great to be involved in this year’s Get Set, Cycle challenge and to have Paul Blomfield’s support was very special. Prior Bank has been buzzing with preparations and the care staff have been setting up our Memoride bikes and pedals so I was delighted when the day finally came, and we began to clock up our miles.”

The public are encouraged to join in the challenge and clock their miles on social media by using the hashtag #GetSetCycle. 

For more information about Anchor’s Prior Bank care home, contact 0800 731 2020.