Upon receiving news of his middle daughter Lizzie’s engagement, the former sales manager made it his mission to take on the ceremonial tradition of escorting the bride down the aisle, unaided, enlisting Belong’s in-house exercise and rehabilitation specialist and his carers to help.

The team reviewed Francis’s personal care plan – available to all residents and designed bespoke to promote independence and quality of life. Building on the father of the bride’s tenacity, the goal was to increase strength and alleviate slower movement, stiffness and rigidity commonly associated with Parkinson’s, whilst boosting confidence to achieve the feat.

With group workouts and one-to-one training in the village gym, progress was proving fruitful, especially thanks to virtual cycle visits to Cornwall and Ireland on specialist exercise bikes adapted for wheelchair users.

Meanwhile, carers encouraged him through daily walks to the wedding march tune of Here Comes the Bride, and in the background, made arrangements for the 160-mile round trip to the picturesque North Wales countryside wedding, ultimately attending to support the family.

Recalling her father’s big moment, Lizzie continues: “He absolutely smashed it. It had given him a sense of purpose, something to work towards, though Dad can really pull at your heartstrings to get out of doing things he knows he can do. The Belong team were amazing keeping his focus on track. They have a great relationship with him, being firm but fair and they put everything in place to make it happen.”

It was after a number of years being supported at home by a live-in caregiver and help from his three daughters Francis made the decision to move into Belong Newcastle-under-Lyme. Since then, he has immersed himself in village life, making much use of its bistro and the integrated Belong Heritage Gallery, whilst enjoying ‘banter’ with staff, even cheekily making requests for bacon butties at 2am.

Lizzie said: “Initially, Dad had made a joke of it all – very much of his character. He then said he wouldn’t miss it for the world, and he was really determined. To see him rise to the challenge was very emotional; he loved being with his family and it was special moment for all of us.”

Josephine Mollison, general manager at Belong Newcastle-under-Lyme, added: “We are thrilled for the Baylis family and Francis’s achievement. They had thought it wouldn’t have been an option, but our ethos is to make moments like this happen and it goes to show that with a support network of dedicated carers and exercise expertise, you can achieve your dreams. Congratulations to all the family.”