A TEAM at a multimillion-pound retirement village in Romsey has walked more than 10,000 miles as part of a challenge to boost fitness amid lockdown.

Staff at Audley Standbridge Earls, Old Salisbury Lane, covered 14,000 miles as part of the Audley Trek - a competition between 13 Audley villages across the UK.

The impressive mileage by the Romsey team meant they came out on top in the nationwide challenge, with the property owners, Angela and Malcom McDade, walking 630 miles in 11 weeks.

The 65-year-olds embarked on their mission by walking on trails and completed the last leg of their journey on the Sandbanks in Poole, Dorset.

They explained in a joint statement why this challenge helped keep their fitness levels up in shutdown.

They said: "The Audley Trek was a brilliant challenge for us and for lots of owners at Audley. We walked a total of 630 miles, finishing the last stretch on the Sandbanks on a beautiful day.

"We love getting out and keeping fit in our retirement, and this challenge has been a great way of keeping that going during the periods of lockdown when we couldn’t get to the gym or the club."

The fitness fanatics stressed the competition has been vital to ensure nobody has felt isolated during lockdown.

They added: "It’s been a fantastic initiative that people across the villages have got involved in. While we reached an impressive total distance, participation has been more valuable than mileage, and some Audley owners have reached some amazing personal milestones, whether they’ve walked small or long distances.

"It’s also been a chance to team up with friends and neighbours in the local area, supporting one another and ensuring that nobody has felt isolated during the months of lockdown."

The challenge ran from February 8 to April 25, which saw 338 property owners and team members at Audley Villages participate.