By SARAH HARKER

THEY say to be forewarned is to be forearmed but nothing could have prepared me for my trip to North Devon for the Extracare activity weekend.

Action and adventure was the name of the game as the young at heart got to grips with abseiling, canoeing, horse-riding and rock-climbing.

The activity week is based around Extracare's unique 'stay active, stay young' philosophy. The charity claims there is increasing evidence to show that staying active, both mentally and physically, can slow down and even reverse the ageing process.

Teams of not-so-retiring pensioners from Extracare housing schemes, some in their 90s, joined entertainers and staff on the activity holiday.

No-one in the group was forced to join in the activities, not even 88-year-old wheelchair-bound Joe Free, who couldn't wait to try his turn at abseiling (for the third year running).

And not 97-year-old Eric Mills, who while canoeing grabbed the hand of one of the staff and said: "This is fantastic, isn't it?"

The holidays are organised by the Extracare Charitable Trust and held twice a year at the Calvert Trust, a specialist outdoor activity centre for elderly and disabled groups in North Devon.

This was the first time Warrington's older generation have experienced the Extracare way of life and were they in for a surprise.

The Warrington team Sybil and Frank Thompson from Croft, Barbara Boscoe from Orford and Norman Hulse from Cinnamon Brow were invited along after registering their interest in the new Extracare village to be built on Rylands Recreation Ground. They embarked on the holiday for a taster of Extracare and formed the advance party for what will be hundreds of elderly people from Warrington making the trip over the next few years.

The holiday was based on the theme of a cruise ship and the Calvert Trust was decorated in the style of a luxurious liner called the SS Calvert. Christmas was rearranged at Calvert, and Tuesday, the second day of the week-long holiday, was 'Christmas Eve'. I arrived late on 'Christmas Day', exhausted from my eight-hour journey.

But on my arrival I was swept off my feet at the Christmas disco, as by this time the Warrington team had got into the party mood and were dancing along to a live band. Guests in their 80s and 90s, some wheelchair-bound, were joined by staff on the dance floor.

Each morning, after a hearty but healthy breakfast, the guests got together for an aerobics class, and even those in wheelchairs were encouraged to do what they could.

Next on the activity agenda was canoeing, horse-riding and abseiling. Not having a head for heights myself I braved the zip wire, but felt quite humbled to see Warrington's fearless four race up and down the rock face.

Every evening, local singers, actors and comedians provided the cruise ship entertainment, encouraging the audience to sing along.

Extracare activity holidays are based on the concept of choice and opportunity and it works.

Staff and carers tell stories of wheelchair-bound residents who can't dress themselves. Once at the Calvert, they discover a new person, one that craves independence one that struggles, and manages, to dress himself, who gets out of his wheelchair and walks those few precious paces.

Staff recall instances where residents with severe Alzheimer's have sampled the activities and changed their lives. One man, who on descending the zip wire, automatically assumed a parachute position and began speaking fluently in Italian. Baffled carers spent weeks asking questions and contacting family members until they discovered that he had served in the Parachute Regiment in Italy.

Carers insist that although the short-term memory may have deteriorated, the long-term is still very much intact and is triggered by activities like these.

Angela Bradford, manager of the landmark Berryhill Retirement Village in Stoke-on-Trent, said: "Sometimes there's a tendency to wrap the elderly in cotton wool and be over-protective, but that isn't necessarily what they want. They have a right to their independence and to choose how much care they need or want."

The atmosphere at the Calvert Trust is unique barriers are lifted between carers, staff and residents. The gap between old and young is completely bridged. Each resident is an individual and a valued part of each team and they love it. You can see it in their eyes, their smiles and in the tears they shed as they departed the SS Calvert.

Mike Hallam, activities manager for Extracare, said: "Some of the people here could be sitting in a circle around a TV they want more, can do more and most of all deserve more."