The inaugural Golden Age Games was held in Kendal Leisure Centre recently – and saw 95 people take part.
GLL, the charitable social enterprise that operates seven Better leisure centres in Westmorland and Furness, staged the event which featured a series of light-hearted sporting events.
The initiative was spearheaded by Better in partnership with Age Friendly South Lakeland.
People from Kendal, Ulverston and Penrith leisure centres took part in tournaments including boccia, pickleball, floor basketball, curling and table tennis, spurred on and cheered by mascot, Active Alfie.
Additional activities that participants engaged in included egg ping pong, dominoes and speed puzzling where people raced against the clock to complete a jigsaw puzzle in record time.
The closing ceremony saw medals being awarded to winners of the timed heats for the sports tournaments as well as prizes given out to commemorate the best team name, best selfie and most outstanding arts and crafts creation.
Penrith Leisure Centre was crowned champion of the Golden Age Games 2025 after notching up a grand total of 101 points, Ulverston took the silver medal with 84 points, closely followed by Kendal with 71 points.
The event was funded by Active Cumbria as part of the Shared Prosperity Fund to cover costs for the provision of medals as well as coach travel to and from Kendal Leisure Centre which transported more than 50 people to the sports day.
Derek Jones, GLL partnership manager, Westmorland and Furness, said: “The event was a resounding success with fantastic feedback from all our Olympians – everyone was a winner. The camaraderie amongst fellow sportspeople was infectious and it was fantastic to see such energy and enthusiasm.
“The success of events like this hinge on our dedicated team of health and exercise professionals alongside our partners who work collaboratively with the shared vision of building, creating and shaping healthier and happier communities.
“It’d like to extend my thanks to partner organisations who supported the event including Age UK South Cumbria, Home Instead, Active Cumbria and Carer Support South Lakes.”
