Sutton Coldfield care home steps into the ring with local community

With the Olympics underway, a local care home invited a professional boxer to kick off their own summer of sport with a special tournament.

Residents and team members at Care UK’s Mercia Grange, on Lichfield Road, welcomed professional boxer, Shakan Pitters, who held the British light-heavyweight title in 2020, alongside the local community, for a day of traditional sports day challenges.

The event came as Mercia Grange joined The Big Care UK Sports Day, which saw over 130 Care UK homes across the UK host sports days for the local community and showcase what life in a care home is really like this summer. 

After kicking things off with an opening ceremony earlier in the week, residents were split into teams to compete in a host of events throughout the week, including darts, archery, bean bags toss, hook a duck.

The main event saw families and members of the community join them for a host of races – egg-and-spoon, three-legged and sack races. There was also a live performance from an African drumming music group, perfect to raise the tempo. To top things off, attendees were treated to a barbecue, specially prepared by the home’s Head Chef. 

Boxer Shakan Pitters was also there to cut the ribbon at the start and presented the worthy winners with medals and trophies. 

Mercia Grange resident David Healey, 89, said: “I took part in the archery competition and won the second place. I look forward to watching all parts of the Olympics!”

Michael McNelis, Home Manager at Mercia Grange, said: “It was great to welcome the local community for our sports day festivities – the perfect way to wrap up a week packed with Olympic-themed excitement. We’d also like to say a massive thank you to Shakan Pitters for showing residents the ropes and enjoyed learning a bit about boxing.

“The day was filled with laughter and friendly competition for all involved – it also brought about a fantastic opportunity to rediscover resident’s own sporting history and passion, something we were excited to share with the people of Sutton Coldfield, and further afield.

“In the spirit of the Olympics, both the residents and local community put their best foot forward as they went head-to-head, with some very close calls in the race for medals. Here at Mercia Grange, we encourage residents to live fulfilling lives through regular activities that improve their physical and mental wellbeing – and our Sports Day was perfect for doing just that.”

Mercia Grange is designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, and incorporating space for hobby and leisure activities. The building helps facilitate the creation of close-knit communities and encourages social interaction among the residents.