CORNWALL’S first-ever Senior Club Games will take place at Bodmin Leisure Centre on Tuesday (September 30), bringing together older residents for a day of friendly but competitive sport.

Thirty participants, all aged 60 and over, have signed up to take part in the inaugural event, which runs from 10am to 3.30pm. The schedule features a mix of accessible but energetic activities, including walking football, walking netball, pickleball and walking cricket.

Competitors will be split into three teams and rotate through every sport in a round-robin format. While medals will be presented to all participants, individual winners will be named for each discipline, with an overall team crowned champion by the end of the day.

The event has also attracted a line-up of notable guests, including Newquay’s Theresa Frost, a 69-year-old international triathlete, Danielle Peel, Chief Executive of Cornwall Football Association and Kellie Williams, Cornwall Development Cricket Officer.

The Senior Club Games are being organised by GLL, which operates nine leisure centres across Cornwall under the Better brand. The not-for-profit social enterprise has been running similar competitions in London for the past decade, where they have become a popular fixture for older communities.

“The games are a popular annual event in London boroughs, and we’re delighted Cornwall is now holding them too,” said Karen Edmond, Community Sports Manager for GLL and the event organiser. “The idea is to challenge our senior club members, form a centre team and then compete against others locally and nationally. Exercise is increasingly important as we get older and, as these games will show, it can be great fun as well as therapeutic.”

The day is being run in partnership with Cornwall FA, Cornwall Cricket, Lanivet Pandas Netball Club and Cornwall Walking Football Referees.