Before coming cycling Shirley sometimes had difficulty getting out of the bath. Shirley and her daughter, Lesley, felt that Shirley mobility was likely to worsen and that she would need a carer to come to her house and support her.

Lesley suggested that she tried using a handcycle to build up her upper body strength, and they came along to a Wheels for Wellbeing session at the Croydon Sports Arena in October last year.

The first week they came Shirley needed a lie down after lunch. Since then she has been coming cycling every week and she has so much energy she walks the dog in the afternoon and then goes out again to do a bit of shopping down the road.

Since cycling with Wheels for Wellbeing Shirley has built up her strength and has not needed any help getting in and out of the bath. She has also started going to another fitness class each week too.  

“I bet most grannies don’t cycle as much as I do! I like coming along and trying out all the different bikes and I’d never used a bike that you power with your hands and not your legs before coming along. The staff are very helpful setting up the bikes to fit you so you don’t have to stick to the same bike all the time.  They help make it more enjoyable.”