The Tour de France may be over, but a retired Swansea couple is turning the wheels and changing gears this week in a bid to keep a more healthy and active lifestyle.

The Sports Council for Wales’ Mentro Allan programme, supported by the Big Lottery Fund, aims to target specific groups that are generally less active than the wider population to participate more regularly in sports activities. In Swansea, the decision was made to target carers.

70-year-old Cyril Gardner from Dunvant, who overcame prostate cancer more than ten years ago, suffered a heart attack in 2004, has problems with his right leg due to deep vein thrombosis as well as osteoarthritis and spinal problems.

Cyril and his carer and partner, Haulwen Lumsdaine, were introduced to the scheme this year and have been regularly attending activity sessions in Swansea held by Swansea County Council.

Cyril explains, "Haulwen and I joined the group this year and we go walking, cycling and have sports taster sessions which we both enjoy. The great thing that has come out of these sessions is meeting other people in the same boat as us and also being introduced to different sports activities.

"Through this scheme Haulwen has actually learnt how to ride a bike. Although she has tried many times over the years, its only now that she’s succeeded in being able to use a tricycle.

"We now have an activity we can enjoy together, which is great because it’s so much easier to participate in activity when there are two of you."

As a result of the sessions, Haulwen has bought her own tricycle and regularly cycles on routes and trails around Swansea. She adds, "Having the cycling sessions through Mentro Allan really has been a life line for me because it’s opened a new world.

"We have always been very active, but due to Cyril’s disabilities we were doing less together than we used to. This is the great thing about cycling – we can now do more together and get out and about more often."

Haulwen, worked for the NHS mainly in Swansea for over 40 years before retiring five years ago, now regularly attends the cycling classes through the Mentro Allan scheme and goes cycling with Cyril two or three times a week.

Adults should be taking part in 30 minutes of physical activity five times per week. This target reflects the Government recommended amount of physical activity that adults should aim for each week to benefit their health and wellbeing.

Outlining the importance of the programme to Wales, Chair of the Sports Council for Wales, Phil Carling said:

"The Mentro Allan programme is making an important contribution to the Welsh Assembly Government’s target for significantly increasing the amount of exercise we take by 2025.

"People of all ages and abilities have the opportunity to develop a life-long positive approach to health and fitness by simply stepping out on to their doorsteps and exploring the natural environment around them. With its sprawling greens and spiky summits, the opportunities that await in the great Welsh outdoors are endless."

For further information about the Mentro Allan programme, please send your enquiry to info@mentroallan.co.uk or log on to www.mentroallan.co.uk