Care home residents’ grand effort for charity

Paul Wadsworth, from Cancer Research UK, displays the Race For Life medals to Sheraton Court Care Home resident
KIND-HEARTED pensioners with a combined age of 955 turned back the years and took part in a charity event – raising almost £1,000 in the process.
The generous residents at Sheraton Court Care Home, in Hartlepool, helped to turn the town pink when they took part in this year’s Race For Life.
Four of the 11 pensioners who took part, including 90-year old Marie Smith, even managed to walk the 5km course along Seaton Carew seafront.
Marie was one of four residents in their 90s to complete the event and helped the home, in Warren Road, Hartlepool, to raise more than £900 for Cancer Research UK.
Marjorie Hard, 96, Janet Holmes, 94, and Peggy Swan, 90, all took their wheelchairs along to the mass event, which attracted more than 1,500 people, and were pushed around the course by care home staff.
Fellow residents Sarah Oliver, 89, Betty Macklam, 88, Elise Linton, 86 and Myra Hill, 79, also completed the course in their wheelchairs.
Sprightly pensioners Gladys Dolan, 84, Marion Moon, 80 and Margaret Lancaster, 79, joined Marie in lacing up their trainers and walking the distance.
Betty Macklam, one of the residents who took part, said: “It’s a great way of raising funds.”
Carole Thompson, Sheraton Court Care Home manager, was very proud of all of the residents who took part.
Carole said: “We decided to take part because most of our staff have a friend or family member who have some form of cancer.
“Also some of our residents who have lived with us have had cancer and some current residents have also been affected.” The event earlier this month was hailed a huge success by event organisers.
But representatives for Cancer Research UK are now asking participants to ensure they return the money they raised in sponsorship.
Holly Howey, Race For Life event manager for Hartlepool, said: “I would like to thank the team from Sheraton Court for the fantastic amount raised in support of Cancer Research UK.
“Race For Life in Hartlepool was a fantastic event and we are so very grateful to everyone who took part or supported our participants, as well as the wonderful volunteers who helped make the event happen.
“Now we are asking our supporters to return the money they have raised.”
For information visit the charity’s website by logging onto www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk and selecting the link at the bottom of this story.
Source http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/