Across Stoke-on-Trent, older adults are opting out of a quiet retirement and proving that sport is not just a 'young person's game'.

Throughout the city there are countless people age 70 and over taking part in a range of activities such as yoga, martial arts, bowls and walking football.

This reflects a wider trend: the latest Sports England Active Lives Adult Survey shows that levels of activity among 55-74 year olds and those 75 and over have been steadily growing since 2019, reaching 64.3 per cent and 44.3 per cent respectively in 2024/25.

Many of these 'later life' athletes have reported physical, social and emotional benefits.

Among those feeling the benefit is 71-year-old Peter Johnson.

A Taekwondo instructor who holds an 8th Dan Kukkiwon Black Belt, Peter also teaches five to six lessons a week across Stoke-on-Trent and Sandbach as well as continuing to compete internationally.

Another athlete refusing to allow ageing stop them from participating in the sport they love is 70-year-old walking footballer, Dave Proctor.

Previously a semi-professional footballer, Dave suffered from a heart attack which left scarring on his heart and encouraged him to seek new ways of staying active.

He said: "There were a couple of chaps who said, 'why don't you come walking football?'

"I must have said, 'walking football, I can run', but he told me that it's faster than you think."

Now a member of the England walking football squad, the Stoke-on-Trent based athlete explained how walking football has given him a new lease of life and allowed him to continue the sport that has meant so much to him over the years.

He currently plays around three times a week for teams including Stoke City and the Chesterton Crusaders.

"I used to play semi-pro when I was younger, you see," Dave said.

"I used to get paid for playing and so when you come to the age of about 35, 40, it's like they don't want you anymore. Playing walking football, it's like giving me something in my life to get up and do, something to enjoy."

He added: "If I can carry on playing, I will. When I get up in the mornings and think 'I'm going to have a game of football now', I feel great because I'm going to have a game.

"And then when I've come back and had a shower, I feel great because I've played - how lucky I am, at my age, to still be able to do it."

Like many other athletes age 70 and over, Dave strongly recommends sport to other older adults.

He said: "If I could like put letters through people's letter boxes to encourage them, I would do it. People come to a certain age and think, that's it, that's me finished - and it's not."

The NHS recommends that "older adults should do some type of physical activity everyday".

Spinning instructor Dave Leech, 70, explained some of the physical benefits of staying active for older adults - which in his case includes high intensity cardio

Dave explained: "It helps to keep the body nice and supple, maintain muscle mass and also helps the heart rate."

He added: "It definitely helps your mind and it helps you to concentrate better as you get older as well."

Every Thursday evening, Dave teaches a spinning class at Fenton Manor Sports Complex and is renowned among staff and members for putting students of all ages 'through their paces'.

Dave says he will carry on for "as long as possible, as long as my knees keep going".

Exercise can improve health for older adults as well as reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke – but the benefits of sports in later life extend beyond physical health.

Age UK's Index of Wellbeing in Later Life, created using surveys of older adults in the UK, revealed that 90 per cent of individuals in the top fifth for "wellbeing" were involved in sports and physical activities.

This was compared to fewer than one per cent of older adults in the bottom fifth for "wellbeing" - defined by Age UK as "how we are faring, in all domains of life, including financial, health, social, personal and the local environment".

Additionally, an Age UK report from 2024 revealed that approximately 940,000 people in the UK over the age of 65 are "often lonely" while 270,000 in England go a week without speaking to a friend or family member.

For many older people locally, sport allows them to maintain their physical health, socialise and for some, provides an important emotional outlet.

"I think if yoga is for you, you do it for the rest of your life," said Pat Hawley, an 84-year-old yoga instructor.

Based in Werrington, Pat has been practicing yoga for over 50 years and currently teaches three classes a week – most of which are aimed at older adults.

Yoga can be particularly helpful for maintaining the strength and flexibility needed for simple everyday activities and Pat's classes offer plenty of opportunities to adapt the class to suit the individual's abilities - for example, using a chair.

Pat explained: "It's very important as you're getting older to keep your balance.

"You've got to be able to stretch up to perhaps get something from the top cupboard and you've got to be able to bend down to get your plates out of the bottom cupboard.

"It might seem simple when you're young, but you've got to maintain this."

Additionally, the ex-hospice nurse explained how yoga has helped her emotionally throughout her life.

She said: "I do a lot of really physical work in the garden and I run my own house, and I'm quite proud that I don't have to have any help.

"But I was also a hospice nurse for 25 years and yoga really helped me to deal with the situations that I came across.

"You were able to see people that passed on and I felt that it was a way to feel very calm. Yoga helped me tremendously"

At age 35, Pat and a friend tried to sign up for a cake decorating evening class.

When they found this class to be full they decided to give yoga a try, starting a half a century commitment to the practice – first classed as a sport by Sport England in 1995.

Pat, who does yoga every morning for around 20 minutes, said: "I hope I'm going to be doing it until I'm no longer here.

"I think it's a lifetime of devotion and for most people who really love yoga and enjoy it, it's part of their life."

She added: "People say to me, 'how do you know yoga's done you any good?' And I say, 'well, I wouldn't know, but I've reached this age feeling very healthy'.

"And also, when you've practiced yoga, you do get a good night's sleep, which is extremely important, isn't it?"

John Storer, 85, has been playing bowls for around 35 years and currently plays three to four times a week.

He said: "I enjoy the competition, I enjoy the exercise - that's good for you - and you can have a laugh."

John also believed that his regular training helped him with his overall fitness and day-to-day activities.

When asked if he intended to stop anytime soon, he replied: "No, only when I fall over and that's it until I get up."

A newer member of the team, Kevin Doyle, 74, explained that he has been playing bowls for three years after giving up football aged 52.

He said: "I was bored and my mate asked me if I'd like to come down and have a go.

"I said, 'no, that's for old men' but he said to just have a go. So I came down and tried it, and I've liked it ever since."

Kevin added: "You're getting out of the house and you're socialising with your teammates. We have a good banter down here."

For those interested in getting involved in sports in Stoke-on-Trent, here is a map showing the locations of the clubs and classes mentioned above: