It was the Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday, and it was also the end of a mini-Olympics held at a beloved Macclesfield community village for the aged.

As Great Britain racked up the medals at Tokyo 2020, back home, another team has also been competing for podium success, with residents living at Belong Macclesfield care village enjoying a bit of friendly competition at their very own Olympics.

Margaret Hughes, 94, (pictured) proudly held the Belong Macclesfield Olympics torch, as part of the celebration to reminisce about their athletic pasts, and partake in the present.

The Belong Macclesfield 2021 games comprise a mix of activities designed by the village's dedicated activities team and fitness instructor, specifically with older people and those living with dementia in-mind.

Highlights include, armchair football, ribbon yoga and paper aeroplane javelin, and residents will get their creative juices flowing, making their own flags and banners of support.

Over in the state-of-the-art gym, residents travelled the world cycling, via a linked screen to specialist equipment.

Caroline Ray, general manager at Belong Macclesfield, said: "It's been great fun hosting our own Olympics at the village. We're currently awash with flags and decorations made by residents to support one another – it's safe to say we've reached Olympic fever pitch!"

Getting into the spirit of the occasion has also proven to have reignited memories, with residents sharing anecdotes of personal sporting success in their youth and their favourite tales of Olympics from years gone by – with some even recalling London 1948, and the first international football tournament to be broadcast on British television.

Also joining in on the action, Belong colleagues took part in their own competition, which culminated in a hotly-contested tug-of-war, before later hosting the closing ceremony, featuring the awarding of medals, speeches and a village party.

Caroline Ray continues: "Residents have responded very positively to the event; the light exercise, crafts activities and camaraderie has kept everyone active and now it's time to cheer on the athletes as they return from the Tokyo games."

Belong Limited is a charitable organisation, with a premises situated on Macclesfield's Kennedy Avenue.

It operates villages providing a range of care, housing and support options for older people, as well as extensive amenities in the village centre. These include bistro, hair salon, exercise studio and function rooms, all of which are open to the public as well as to the Belong community.

People can choose to live independently in a Belong apartment or within a supported 24-hour care environment.

Belong specialises in supporting people with dementia, and 24-hour care is provided in extended family-sized households, with modern open plan layouts specially designed around the needs of people with dementia.

All employees working in Belong villages are trained in dementia awareness, from domestic assistants through to bistro staff.

The organisation is also a registered domiciliary provider and can support people in their own home, through its Belong at Home service.

Aside Macclesfield, there are six other Belong villages in Atherton, Crewe, Didsbury, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Wigan and Warrington.

For more information please see Belong's website.

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