CARE home residents are feeling the benefits of a new "sensory trolley" thanks to the efforts of two kind-hearted marathon runners.

Bentham couple Nick and Diane Armstrong raised £4,108 for the Leonard Cheshire care home at Holehird, Windermere, by running their 100th marathon in their home town in June 2019.

The pair organised the 26-mile run in North Yorkshire in honour of Nick's late mother, Valerie Harrold, who lived at Holehird for four years after a life-changing head injury.

She, Nick and Diane all founded the Bentham Beagles running club, and Nick and Diane ran their first marathons with her.

The money raised by the couple has enabled Holehird to buy a trolley equipped with sensory lights and features to help encourage independence, imagination and cognitive development for people who have had brain injuries.

The hi-tech kit includes sensory silks and pebbles, UV lights, projectors, music amplifiers, an infinity tunnel and aromatherapy.

Judy Hyland and Emma Connolly, deputy managers at the Leonard Cheshire care home at Holehird, said: "We are extremely grateful to Nick and Diane for their incredible fundraising efforts last year, which have enabled us to purchase this fantastic piece of equipment."

They added: "The trolley will no doubt benefit all of Holehird’s residents in years to come.”

The kit's lights and special effects are said to be extremely comforting for users, and are also thought to help reduce anxiety for people who may be otherwise unable to express their fears.

The trolley can be wheeled around the care home and used individually in residents' bedrooms, or in the main lounge as part of a social activity for everyone to enjoy together.

“Nick and I are so proud the money we raised through our 100-marathon challenge has been able to contribute towards Holehird purchasing a sensory trolley,” Diane told the Gazette.

"We are so pleased as this is something every resident at Holehird will be able to benefit from.”