"I got into cycling because walking is too slow!"

The competitive spirit is still flying high at Nelson Lodge care home in St Neots as Summer of Sport week kicks off.

Sporting events across the country might have been cancelled because of Covid-19, but as all 114 Anchor care homes host their very own sporting tournaments, Nelson Lodge resident Malcolm Wright shares his excitement about Summer of Sport.

Malcolm, 77, is a former professional cyclist and competed in road races across the country.

I got into cycling because walking is too slow! I adored racing on my bike and was so disappointed when I had to give it up after my accident. 

At 20 years old, Malcolm became a professional cyclist, competing for Southend Wheelers in road races far and wide. 

He proudly remembers the races he won in 1970 in Basildon and Hemel Hempstead, and was terribly disappointed to have to retire from his career early due to an accident. 

To remind him of his glory days, Malcolm keeps a framed photo of one of his winning races in his room at Nelson Lodge.

Ahead of Summer of sport week, Malcolm said: 

The Summer of Sport events sound like they’ll be great fun, and it’s nice to have something to look forward to.

The Summer of Sport tournament is being held from Monday, 20 July to Sunday, 26 July – the same week when the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics would have been held. 

The tournament will see residents at Nelson Lodge, including Malcolm, taking on daily one-minute sporting challenges in disciplines such as basketball, cricket, football, table tennis, golf and rugby. The care home has been provided with sports equipment specially adapted for people living with dementia, ensuring all residents are able to participate.

Residents will be in friendly competition with other care homes across the country for coveted trophies which will be awarded during a special closing ceremony, co-ordinated across all care homes, on Sunday 26 July.

Although many sports now have to be played without spectators, staff at Nelson Lodge will be there to cheer residents on.

Sean McCloseky, Manager of Achor’s Nelson Lodge care home, said:

Our residents have been disappointed that many sports events have been understandably cancelled due to the pandemic, so we decided to hold our own sporting events instead. The staff here have organised a variety of tournaments for the residents as part of Anchor’s Summer of Sport. It’s a great opportunity to exercise our bodies and minds, doing meaningful activities while also having fun!

For more information about Nelson Lodge, contact 0800 731 2020.

ll our homes will be sharing photos and videos of their competitors and sporting events on Twitter using the hashtag #SummerofSport2020. Be sure to use it to share your Summer of Sport TRYathlon attempts too!