A POPULAR Middlesbrough park has been awarded funding to create an outdoor gym.
The Trim Trail at the town’s Fairy Dell will allow visitors to benefit from a workout while enjoying the great outdoors.
The installation has been made possible thanks to a Physical Activity Fund grant of just under £20,000 from Middlesbrough Council.
The cash – earmarked by the town’s Public Health Service Pathways to Fitness projects – will see the installation of a series of outdoor physical activity stations.
The new Trim Trail will consist of eight metal and five wooden installations ranging from a mini-skier and log stack to a sit-up bench and a power push machine.
The stations will all feature instructions and QR codes giving access to web demonstration videos via a smartphone app.
The equipment will be built and installed by outdoor recreation and play specialists HAGS-SMP and is expected to be ready for use by visitors to the park in a few weeks’ time.
Friends of Fairy Dell Treasurer Jeannette Bowen said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded this grant which will help to add a whole new aspect to Fairy Dell.
“As a local park and woodland area it is popular with people of all ages, and the Trim Trail will give our many visitors a fun opportunity to take a little extra exercise.”
Councillor Mick Thompson, who sits on the grants panel with representatives of public health, Teesside University and other bodies, said: “One of the Council’s key objectives is to make more people more active, and there’s nowhere better to take exercise than one of our great parks and open spaces.
“Fairy Dell is a hugely popular attraction for people of all ages, and the Trim Trail will be a great addition to the site.
“It’s a fantastic asset for the town and I’m sure many visitors to Fairy Dell will enjoy a bit of healthy and free exercise in such a fabulous setting.”
A small amount of funding is still available to help other voluntary and community sector groups develop projects to get people physically active.
For more information and an application form email Voluntary Sector Liaison Officer Sharon Barker at Sharon_barker@middlesbrough.gov.uk or visit www.middlesbrough.gov.uk/grants
For more information on Fairy Dell and the work of the Friends, visit www.thefriendsoffairydell.co.uk