Nearly 200 compete in debut games for older people
BBCAlmost 200 competitors over the age of 60 have competed in an inaugural sports competition.
Teams from Carlisle, Westmorland and Gateshead were among the competitors at the Northern England Better Club Games, which took place at Penrith Leisure Centre on Tuesday - with the team from Carlisle named as this year's inaugural winners.
The seniors battled it out across a variety of games including walking netball, Pickleball and Scrabble.
Competitor Maureen Luckhurst, from Penrith, urged more older people to come along and join their local sports team. "They'll be glad to have you," she said.
The 76-year-old said she was part of a new generation of older people who were more likely to stay active.
"I can't ever remember my mother breaking into a run," she said. "But now it's totally different isn't it - my grandchildren expect me to run after them."
Luckhurst was at the competition with her local walking netball team.
"They've trained to a certain level and they're holding their own and they're mixing with people," she said.
"I'm very, very happy."
Carolyn Beckett, from Gateshead, said it was "lovely to meet different people" at the competition in Penrith.
She said playing sports at the age of 73 had kept her mind and body active. "It keeps us going," she said.
Anne Chapman, also from Gateshead, said the competition was ultimately about "having fun".
She encouraged others to take the opportunity to try out new sports: "Don't worry about whether you can play, or how well you can play - just go and do it!"
The charitable leisure organisation Better said the tournament was aimed at improving the mental and physical health of older people.
