Santa tricycle rickshaw rides in for Sunderland dementia care home residents

Santa has helped residents from a Sunderland care home to hit the road in time for Christmas.

Saint Nick took time out from his busy Yuletide schedule to drop by Paddock Stile Manor in Newbottle to take residents out on a special two-seater cycle rickshaw, courtesy of the North East chapter of Cycling Without Age.

Founded in Copenhagen in 2012, the organisation is a global non-profit which aims to reconnect those who are unable to cycle themselves due to age or disability with the joy of pedal power.

Volunteer pilots take people out on power-assisted ‘trishaw’ cycles for safe and free rides.

Home manager Julie Thompson said the rides were a great way to get residents out of the home and allow them to reconnect with precious memories.

"A lot of our people are from the local area, so it brings back a lot of memories for them being out in the local community," she said.

"It is great for their reminiscing and just to see them so happy is fantastic.

"We talk to the residents a lot and we show them a lot of things but actually doing it is different. We put on a lot of acitivities but going out is better because you are doing the real thing."

To find out more about the work of the North East chapter of Cycling Without Age and to volunteer or daonte, visit https://www.cwastockton.co.uk/