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WHO WOULDN’T FANCY a cycle by the seaside on a Monday afternoon?
These residents from Sacred Heart Residence nursing home in Dublin are being taken on afternoon trips on rickshaws around their local area.
The initiative, being undertaken by volunteers from Canada Life Reinsurance as part of their corporate social responsibility programme, is inspired by a similar scheme that first started in Denmark called Cycling Without Age.
It aims to allow older people with limited mobility to enjoy getting out in the open and to see their local community, and has spread to 33 countries around the world.
We went a trip with Phyllis and Siobhan as they were taken for a spin down to Dollymount by rickshaw for the first time.
Watch the video above for our full report.
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And plenty of fresh air into the bargain. Wonderful idea.
What a great idea, most communities could organise a group of volunteers to do this for any local nursing home residents. There are plenty young people in transition year who I’m sure wouldn’t mind at all giving up an hour or two a week to help out, I think both the nursing home residents and the volunteers would benefit greatly from such an incentive.
Brilliant to see this type of Corporate Social Responsibility from Canada Life. Imagine the positive impact a trip like that has on the residents in the nursing home. Love it
fair play.
Wonderful idea
This is a heartwarming idea. Well done to everyone involved!
Check out http://www.cyclingwithoutage.ie for more details. This is the first company-sponsored CWA rickshaw bike in Ireland, and is now gifted by Canada Life Re-Insurance to Sybill Hill Nursing Home in Raheny. Their staff are now trained as CWA pilots as part of their CSR (corporate social responsibility) programme, and they volunteer to take residents out for spins. We now invite more companies to get similarly involved.
The rickshaws cost €5,000.
It’s unbelievable, but true.
@David Murphey: I doubt Canada Life bought them, they’re probably rented
@Darragh Ó Tuathail: Canada Life donated the rickshaw.
@nickyryan Any info on how one would get involved volunteering to help out with the scheme ? Ta
Canada life should make sure that no nursing home tries to charge residents for this bundling it in as part of those bogus compulsory nursing home charges – some even tried charging for Mass.
Amazing…. not one negative comment about Helmets or Hi viz!
It’s a great idea! Well done to everyone that made it possible.
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