Sports games prove the benefits of fitness at any age

A team from South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse beat more than 130 over 55-year-olds to win the 2018 Better Club Games – an Olympic-style event for older people.

The games were held at Rivermead Leisure Complex, in Reading on Friday, May, 20, and was run by the UK’s largest public leisure provider Better, the consumer facing brand of charitable social enterprise GLL. The event aimed to encourage older people to become more active and to highlight the social and physical benefits that sporting activities can offer to individuals of all ages.

The winners!

Participants took part in six sports including walking football, badminton, short tennis, table tennis, timed swim and pickleball. Proudly representing their districts the five teams competing hailed from the south east and midlands districts of Chiltern & South Bucks, Reading, West Oxfordshire, South Oxfordshire & Vale of White Horse and Swindon.

The winners, South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse, claimed the title for the second successive year, with Reading in second place and Chiltern & South Bucks in third. Those on the podium included Brian Gray and Barbara Gibbins, who plays Table Tennis at Thame Leisure Centre. They finished second in the table tennis event.

Jamie Coleshill, Regional Director at GLL the charitable social enterprise that operates Better Leisure Centres. opened the event. He said: “As GLL is the UK’s leading charitable leisure social enterprise, we are proud to run the Better Club Games to celebrate the benefits of physical activity and active lifestyles across all our UK partnerships – whatever your age!”

Colin Williams, Community Sports Manager, added: “Having days like this really helps to encourage people to be more active, giving people of all ages a chance to try competitive sport, represent their community and most importantly take part in physical activity with like minded people. It was a great day that was enjoyed by all and I’m delighted for Team South Oxfordshire & Vale of the White Horse, to win the title for the second successive year is a fantastic and a real bonus for our community.”

The Better Club Games is a competitive day of sport and physical activity for anyone aged 55+ and over. The Games have been running for 12 years in London and this year is the third time the Games have been delivered outside of London.

The ethos of the Games is for older people to come together in a social friendly environment to play competitive sport. In turn this will encourage them to be regularly active in later life.