With a valiant team effort by staff and families of residents living at a specialist care home in Plymouth producing £575 in sponsorship money through a 24-hour bike ride to help fund a specialist new interactive mobile entertainment unit for residents living with dementia, just £225 more is now needed to reach the team’s final target.

Fundraisers from Butterfly Lodge in St Budeaux are approaching the end of a year’s fundraising to enable them to buy the high-tech audio-visual equipment. Previous activities have included a spring fair which raised £300, and a sponsored bike ride along the Camel Trail last summer which raised £500.

A total of 24 staff members and relatives took part in the two-day challenge, taking it in turns to ride one of two static bikes installed in the reception area of Butterfly Lodge.

Deputy manager Sarah McCaffrey said: “Everyone who took part did brilliantly, and we’re so appreciative.

“The kit we’re going to buy with the sponsorship money is amazing. A colleague and I first saw it at a trade show last year and were immediately determined our residents should have one.

“It will allow them to take a part in shared activities regardless of where they are in the home, so everyone can benefit equally from music, karaoke, reminiscence games and joining in with events from outside via live-streaming.

“With just another £225 to raise, we feel like the end is in sight now – and that’s very satisfying, but it will be even more satisfying when we hit that final target.

“If anyone wishes to help us get there by contributing via our Justgiving page, it’s not too late to do so. We just can’t wait to see our residents start enjoying the fruits of our hard work.”

Anyone wishing to donate can do so at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/butterflylodgeresidentsfund

Butterfly House provides a wide variety of activities and outings for the people living with dementia who they support - all devised to keep them engaged and living their best lives for as long as possible.

The home is run by award-winning dementia care providers Camelot Care who also have homes in Wellington, Bridgwater and Yeovil in Somerset. www.camelotcare.co.uk