Up the fun with some senior-friendly games and fun activities in Cambridge, from bowling to bingo and everything in between.
From social opportunities and relationship building, hitting up local games, easy sports and other fun activities in your area can be a fantastic way to help an elderly friend or family member to get some exercise and mental stimulation – as well as getting out and having some fun, of course. There’s more to life than cups of tea, after all!
More energetic games and activities, such as skating or five-a-side, become less practical the older we become, but there are still plenty of ways to play, no matter how old you are. We don’t resign our seniors to sitting around and waiting on the next afternoon tea or bad soap opera.
Cambridge and County Bowling Club offers year-round bowling through having both Indoor and Outdoor Lawn green bowls facilities at its home in Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge. Bowls are designed to travel a curved path because of a weight bias produced entirely by the shape of the bowl. As a very popular, inexpensive sport, it attracts the sporting attentions of many thousands in the country.
Cambridge has excellent venues for both types of game, with numerous club facilities for the enthusiast to enjoy. Playing bowls is recommended by health professionals, especially for older individuals, due to its ability to enhance fitness, coordination, skill development, self-esteem, and confidence.
Golf is the perfect game for older men and women to keep their fitness up without being too over-exerting. Playing golf engages your brain and improves strength and balance. It takes a lot of mental work and strategy to plot the course to hit a tiny ball into a cup that is hundreds of feet away. It also hones attention, memory and learning as you improve your skills.
Any form of exercise is shown to lift your spirits and relieve stress. The Gog Magog Golf Club, just south of the city has two courses, the Old Course, opened in 1901, has all the character you would expect from a course with so much history. It has great variety, great views and is a great test for all abilities. The Wandlebury Course, opened in 1997, is longer than the Old Course and has USGA specification greens. From both courses there are panoramic views across Cambridgeshire. Directly north, Ely Cathedral rises out of the surrounding Fens.
Open all year round, Magpie Lake is a day ticket fishery that is popular to Cambridge and Cambridgeshire anglers. This water is available for both casual and match anglers and is well-stocked with carp to 16 lbs, perch to 1 lb, roach to 2 lbs, rudd, tench to 4 lbs, pike, and bream. This 5-foot-deep water has a lot of features, including a very large central island. It also has deep margins and plenty of reed beds.
Whether for mental stimulation, an afternoon (or longer) out of the usual surroundings, or for the sheer fun of it, games and activities like these are a fantastic way to spend time with senior friends and family whether you’re a carer or not. From classic pastimes like bingo and bowling to something a bit different like Adventure Golf, there’s so much to do in Norfolk to get out and about than just popping out for a cup of tea.