Gerald Briscoe looks forward to his weekly exercise class.

The 89-year-old, from Bolton Lane, suffers from Parkinson’s disease and finds the movements taught in his weekly Extend class help him to feel more supple.

He says: “I also have arthritis in my right arm and find it difficult to move, and I’ve got two new knees. The exercises really help to loosen my arm and knee joints.”

The exercises, taught by qualified instructor Josephine Pass, include leg stretching, knee stretching and body movements. “I stand up behind my chair and move my legs and feet,” Gerald says. “It really helps and I enjoy it.”

A butcher for 50 years, he misses having the full use of his arms.

“I have no strength in them arms now, so I cannot do any cutting up. I used to bone the meat,” he says. “But with the exercises we do in class and those I do at home, I can lift my arms up above my head and stretch out.”

With its specialised seated and standing exercises, Extend classes are designed to help people to maintain a good level of fitness into old age. It has teachers throughout the UK who hold classes in settings including hospitals, nursing homes, village halls, day centres and community centres.

Gerald, whose class is held at Bolton Methodist Church, really enjoys it. “The lady who runs it is very good and so are the volunteers who come and help.”

Instructor Josephine trained with Extend expert Barbara Craven.

“The class works with people with health problems and disabilities,” she says. “We do some chair exercises and standing exercises, in which people are supported by their chair. In some groups people are unable to stand. There are no set exercises; it focuses on people and their health issues. As a class we are learning all the time.

“Some of the symptoms are muscle stiffness, tremors, slowness of movements and difficulties with balance and coordination. The exercises help with all of these.”

Josephine, a former social worker who has also worked as a yoga instructor, adds: “Because of problems with muscles, people’s movements can become quite small, such as shuffling with head and shoulders down, so we try to make the exercises ‘big’, so they stretch the body.”

Music is an integral part of the class. “In most classes music is in the background,” she says. “Here we use it to fit the movements. Music lifts people’s spirits and I encourage people to sing because it can help with symptoms such as difficulties with speech, swallowing and chewing.

“Extend is perfectly suited to Parkinson’s, but also other disabilities. We have classes for people who have had hip replacements, knee replacements, and who have suffered strokes and have heart problems.”

Vera McLelland, 74, of Thackley, loves the class. She says: “It helps to loosen me up. We do exercises sitting down, we use our arms quite a lot, and our legs. We use bean bags, batons and weights which we pass from person to person, and lift up and down.”

Afterwards, she feels the benefit straight away. “I get a different feeling every week, and always feel more supple.”

Both Gerald and Vera comment on the friendliness of the group. “Everyone is so nice,” says Vera.

l The exercise group meets on a Tuesday from 10.30am to 11.45am at Bolton Methodist Church Hall, Bolton Road, Bradford. For more information contact Dorothy Pearce on (01274) 599119.