A group of kind Te Anau volunteers reckon you’re never too old to hop on a set of wheels and feel the wind in your hair and they’re going all out fundraising to make it happen.

They’re launching a Te Anau branch of the hugely successful, worldwide charity, Cycling Without Age, in which volunteer ‘pilots’ take the elderly and those who are unable to cycle themselves, out on a fun joy ride in open air, electric ‘trickshaws’.

Chairperson and early childhood teacher Tarn Willans says the idea is that older people are out connecting with the community and with nature.

Cycling Without Age is a global movement that began in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2012 and is now active in more than 50 countries.

The idea to set up one in Te Anau all started after Willans and a friend, Fabienne Mareel, had been to the Big Bike Film Night where they watched a movie about an American 70-year-old volunteer trickshaw pilot.

He was collecting elderly from rest homes and taking them for outings.

Cycling Without Age Te Anau chairperson Tarn Willans, with little Ellie, are keen to share their love of the outdoors with those unable to get out. Photo: Supplied

“You could see the look of pure joy on the old people’s faces,” Willans says.

“They go to parks, gardens, the bush and beach."

"I said to my husband, ‘How cool! I want to do this’.”

She soon learned a group was underway with a similar movement in Alexandra and another group in Wanaka was following suit.

“We co-opted in a few extras and set up a charitable trust."

"We’ve had lots of offers of help from people wanting to volunteer and be pilots and assist the six of us on the trust.”

One of their founding group, John Carter, will train the pilots.

The trickshaws are made in Denmark and at $26,000 each the group has begun fundraising to purchase two for Te Anau.

They’ve also applied for various funding grants and set up a Givealittle page.

Photo: Cycling Without Age Central Otago

This Sunday (Oct 12), they’re holding a film evening at Fiordland Cinema, complete with silent auction, to kickstart the fundraising.

“We’ll be showing the 30-minute movie about Cycling Without Age that I watched, so that people can see what a truly amazing movement this is,” Willans says.

Fiordland businesses have already been very generous donating great prizes for the auction, including a very rare tour for four from Manapouri around Meridian's Manapouri Power Station, float plane, jetboat and kayaking trips, a water taxi excursion, bike services and meat packs.

“We’re hoping to raise at least $3000 on the night and people can stop by the cinema throughout the week to place their auction bids.”

Willans says they’ve already mapped out a suitable scenic route around the lakefront for the rides and lined up an elderly guest to be first triallist.

They now just need the money to buy the two bikes.

In the meantime, they’ll be getting the word out to seniors in the community, and residents in the likes of the Murchison Villas, probably using flyers, keen for any donations or sponsors and letting people know the service is coming.

“It’s a totally free service and we’re aiming to offer it to older people, probably 60-plus, who for some reason can’t ride a bike for themselves,” Willans says.

“They may have had strokes or be recovering from injury, head injury or illness.”

She says there are some lovely examples from Cycling Without Age volunteers around the globe, including one of a man who had been widowed who went on one of the rides with his daughter.

“She said it was the first time he’d smiled in a long time since losing his wife.”

Some of the group members have given a talk at the local Probus Club.

“We’re trying to get the word out to older people, although it will likely be five months before we’ve raised the money and can get operating,” Willans says.

The Wanaka group is “cranking up” and fundraising too and Willans says she hopes they can set up a network of Southern Cycling Without Age movements.

Volunteers in Alexandra are already well advanced with a trickshaw bought for them by a generous local lady.

Wanaka committee member Beth Campbell says they’re currently writing their grant applications and taking the idea to the likes of Lions and Rotary.

“These older people may have had bikes when they were younger but are no longer able to ride, or they’ve lost their confidence,” Campbell says.

“We’ll be approaching the retirement homes and aged care facilities."

"It’s about getting people out in the fresh air with wind in their hair, to smell and see the blossoms, maybe just sit on the lakefront and watch kayakers, and have conversations with people in the community,” she says.

“They may want to go to the park and watch the kids run around, or just sit and look at the daisies and the ducks.”

The Alexandra group has kindly offered for them to have a trial ride of their trickshaw.

Each trickshaw can take two passengers and they may want to take an elderly friend or adult child along, she says.

The groups are fundraising for two trickshaws each so that they can take groups of four on outings.

CLICK HERE to donate or help Cycling Without Age Te Anau or contact Tarn Willans on 027-365-4456 or via email.

Sue Fea is a senior journalist with more than 40-years experience covering police, social and general news in the southern regions.