“I don’t even feel old”, reveals 87-year-old Margaret Hockney as she walks 700 miles

A resident at a care home in Harrogate has revealed walking 700 miles in just one year following her arrival at Harcourt Gardens Care Home in June 2022.

Born in 1935, Margaret, an accomplished artist and published author, is a self-confessed “technology whizz” having mastered the skill of ‘Scannergraph’ art in her early 60’s and being a lover of computers and gadgets.

In 2022, Margaret was taken ill and following a short stay in hospital she moved into Harcourt Gardens, a luxury residential care home offering dementia and respite care on Harcourt Road, Harrogate.

Determined to return to better physical health, Margaret stopped her medication, upgraded the wheels for her trolley, and downloaded a pedometer app on her smartphone in a bid to build her strength.

Margaret said, “My goal was to get to 4,000 steps a day. Because of the location of the home, I realised I could walk very nicely around the stray, or into town. I worked out a flat route around the home and stepped to it.”

Despite her ill health before moving into the home, Margaret has always been very active. Before she drove a car, Margaret would ride a bike to and from her work as a midwife in the 1950s.

Margaret continued, “The funny thing is, I didn’t even realise how far I had walked until I had a little play with the pedometer app and I couldn’t believe my eyes when it showed I had covered 700 miles.”

Care home manager at Harcourt Gardens Care Home, Debbie Daniels said, “Margaret is a true inspiration and a shining example of sheer determination – Margaret really is testament to the saying ‘age is just a number’.

“Nothing will stop Margaret from getting her steps in – she leaves the home with everything she needs for rain or shine in her trolley bag and owns a good pair of shoes recommended for her osteoarthritis.

“As well as keeping physically active, Margaret is also a big believer in keeping her mind active too and has started a Scrabble Club here at Harcourt Gardens on a Sunday afternoon.”

Margaret added, “I’ve always loved the outdoors and moving into a care home wasn’t going to stop me from exploring and keeping my body and mind fit and active.”