MotoGP star trades bike for piano at Ilkley care home
MotoGP racer James Toseland showed his softer side on Friday evening with an impressive piano performance at an Ilkley care home.
More than 100 residents and invited guests enjoyed an evening to remember when the two-time World Superbike Champion took time out from his busy schedule to play at Troutbeck Care Home on Crossbeck Road.
Children from Westville House School Choir performed for the invited audience before joining James for the song 'Sailing Away' by Mary Donnelly. James then took the stage to perform a number of pieces, including a ballad he penned for his mother's upcoming wedding. After the performance, guests enjoyed cheese and wine and posed for photographs as they chatted with the Yorkshire-born racer.
Enid Harris, Care Manager of Troutbeck, was very pleased with the evening's entertainment. "It's rare for someone to be equally as talented in such seemingly opposite skills as racing and music, but James blew everyone away with his performance. Our residents and guests enjoyed a wonderful evening."
Although James is usually recognised for his skills on the track, many people will recognise him from his impressive piano performance at last year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards, in which he came fourth in the overall competition.
"Although racing is my career, my gran taught me to play the piano when I was very young," said James, who performs with his rock band Crash when he's not on the track. "I hope to get more involved with my music when I retire from the sport."
Earlier in the day, James performed at Oaklands Residential Home in Kirk Hammerton, York. The two homes are part of the Leeds-based Maria Mallaband Care Group (MMCG), one of the UK's leading elderly care providers. MMCG owns 47 properties spanning from the Channel Islands to County Durham, including eight in the Yorkshire region.
Troutbeck Care Home specialises in nursing, respite and personal services in its luxurious facilities and strives to provide residents with regular entertainment. Originally built as a hydrotherapy spa in 1863, the charming building recently underwent an extensive refurbishment that included the addition of a 16-bed ensuite wing.
