RESIDENTS of a retirement village have been given the chance to try the latest technology to help them track their fitness levels.

Eighteen residents at Middleton Hall Retirement Village, near Darlington, took part in walking, cycling and aqua walking challenges while using a mobile app developed by London-based de Salve, owned by entrepreneurs Dr Dylan Jenkins and Neil Bunting.

Each person was allocated a wristband registered to them with a unique ID so that when the band was swiped on a phone, it logged their progress and a table of results could be produced allowing them to track their achievements throughout the day.

Audrey Perry, 85, who was named the overall winner for increasing her levels of activity, said: “The great thing was being able to walk at my own pace. You can do as much or as little as you can. I’m very competitive and felt better than ever afterwards.”

Jeremy Walford, managing director of Middleton Hall, said: “It was a really interesting experiment in that every single person did more than they normally would when they used the technology and there was a sense that they were competing with themselves.

"The residents loved tracking their progress and they were also keen to encourage and support each other.”