Staff at Butterfly Lodge, a specialist care home in St Budeaux, Plymouth, are organising a sponsored 24-hour bike ride on 7 and 8 June and hoping to raise the final £800 needed for specialist new entertainment equipment for their residents living with dementia.

The team has been actively engaged for nearly a year in fundraising to buy a new interactive mobile unit for use by residents, with activities including a spring fair last weekend which raised £300, and a sponsored bike ride along the Camel Trail last summer which raised £500.

Participants in next month’s sponsored cycle will see two static bikes installed in the reception area of Butterfly Lodge, to be ridden in turn by various staff members and relatives. A dedicated team of 20 colleagues and friends of the home have committed to taking part and the riders will achieve their 24 hour target by doing two 12 hour stints over two days.

The high-tech audio-visual kit to be purchased with the sponsorship money will enable residents confined to their rooms to share in activities taking place elsewhere in the home, so everyone can benefit equally from music, singing, reminiscence and other fun activities via live-streaming.