DEMENTIA patients are a step closer to being able to get out and about in Renfrewshire after a supermarket raised cash for a trishaw.

Campbell Snowdon House, a care home for the elderly in Quarriers Village, is seeking to raise around £6,500 for the special bike, which would be able to transport patients so they can enjoy the outside world.

And, as a contribution to the cause, Tesco in Linwood has raised £1,000 through a book sale at the front of the store.

Customers and staff donated books they no longer needed and people then picked out ones they liked while making a donation to the fund.

The care home has now gathered around £2,500 towards the trishaw.

Jim Melville, care home manager, said the bike could take residents to Bridge of Weir, Kilmacolm and even as far as Johnstone.

He added: “There’s not great transport links for residents, as we are in quite a rural area.

“This bike will give residents access to the communities of Bridge of Weir and Kilmacolm and we should even be able to take them out to Johnstone. That will only take 30 minutes, as the trishaw is going to be power-assisted.

“The staff at Tesco set up a book store and people made donations. It’s been very much appreciated.

“We have now offered free dementia training to Tesco staff so they can learn to recognise someone with dementia better and know what they can do to help.”

The bid to purchase a trishaw is part of an initiative called Cycling Without Age, which aims to bring older people close to the outdoor environment through the power of cycling.

It is a movement which was started in Denmark but is now spreading across the world, with the first Scottish project launched in Falkirk.

The team at Campbell Snowdon House is now following suit in the hope of beating isolation. To donate, visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/cycling-without-age-quarriers-village.