Residents in Lincolnshire care homes are being encouraged to get active next month by tackling the Great North Run Care Home Challenge.

LinCA and the charity Veterans for Veterans in Care are calling on care homes and their residents to take part in the challenge and support the 26,000 veterans in care across the UK.

In the run-up to the Great North Run (7th to 13th September) care home residents in the county are being encouraged to complete 13.1 miles as a team.

Every activity counts towards raising awareness for armed forces veterans in care. Whether it’s a gentle stroll in the garden, laps of the corridors or hand cycling in the local community, all activity counts!

It’s an opportunity to encourage wellbeing and bring communities together for a group that deserves to be remembered and recognised. Every mile completed and every pound donated will allow Veterans for Veterans in Care to continue their mission to find and help the ‘Forgotten Army’ of armed forces veterans living in care homes.

Veterans for Veterans in Care works hard to find armed forces veterans living in care homes to offer them extra support. They begin by locating veterans who may have become disconnected from the armed forces community, and they engage with them, recognising their service, listening to their stories, and rebuilding the sense of belonging that military life once provided.

Then the charity integrates them back into the wider veteran community, reconnecting them with fellow brothers and sisters who have served, ensuring they receive the recognition, companionship and support they have earned.

“Working with the Lincolnshire Care Association will help Veterans for Veterans in Care reach more veterans and their carers far more quickly than doing it on our own,” said John Hambling, Chairman of Veterans for Veterans in Care.

“On behalf of our veterans I would like to say thank you for your help and support.”

The Great North Run is the biggest half marathon in the world. Set up in 1981 by former Olympic runner Brendan Foster, it attracts over 60,000 runners every year for a half marathon in the North East of England.