Shrewsbury pensioners swap slippers for trainers in marathon challenge
Pensioners swapped their slippers for trainers to complete a double marathon of walking around their Shrewsbury retirement complex.
Residents from The Coppice in Bicton embarked on the trek as part of a series of Olympic-themed challenges.
In total, 15 people aged between 69 and 90 took on the task and managed 215 laps, equivalent to 54 miles.
Shirley Smith completes a daily perimeter walk with her sister Hazel Perry and said: “We weren’t sure if we could achieve this but we did! The staff here have been wonderful.
"As well as the physical challenges we are also enjoying quizzes and our essential groceries are organised and delivered to our doorstep each day.”
Service manager, Vanessa Turner said: “We had the idea to set some Olympic challenges and inspire residents to stay physically active and improve their mental health and wellbeing at the same time, something that has been more difficult during the current Covid-19 restrictions.
"We’re thrilled that so many got involved and that we doubled our target distance.”
The residents are continuing to walk the grounds of The Coppice and now have a new target to aim for - Land’s End to John O Groats, a total of 874 miles. They hope to complete it in a month.
