Green Gym Launch 7th May 2011
At 2 p.m. on Saturday 7th may 2011, the Friends of Lodmoor Country Park and Weymouth & Portland Borough Council will officially launch the GREEN GYM in the park.
All the organisations and people who helped to make this project possible will be publicly recognised and thanked, there will be free demonstrations of how to use the equipment, led by a fitness expert, and light refreshments for participants.
Adam Greaves, future Olympic sailing hopeful is the special guest who will cut the ribbon, Andy Sloan of "Procision Fitness" will lead the exercises, the cake has been made by Arty Party Cakes, of Lodmoor Hill, and Morrisons have supplied isotonic drinks and bottled water.
EVERYONE is invited to come along, join in the celebrations and discover what this exciting new addition to the park has to offer.
The equipment is suitable for people of all ages and levels of fitness and expertise, for exercise from gentle to vigorous; the under-12's must be supervised.
A series of free sessions of tuition are planned to encourage beginners of all ages to keep fit, so come along and register your interest.
The Green Gym Project was co-ordinated by Friends' committee member Bridget Betts, who obtained a series of grants to fund the works. The initial grant from the Weymouth & Portland Partnership enabled Bridget & Weymouth & Portland Borough Council Parks Department to make an application to Groundwork UK, & appoint local landscape architect Caroline Sharp as Project Manager.
Groundwork UK is an Award Partner to the Big Lottery Fund, and manages the Community Spaces grants programme, part of the Big Lottery Fund's "Changing Spaces" initiative.
The grant application was supported by Martin Fine, a facilitator from Community Spaces, and in October 2010 the project was awarded £43,000 to cover the cost of installing the specially-designed outdoor gym equipment at landscaped stations and improvements to pathways between them.
Twenty-one pieces of equipment are grouped at five stations along a 2km circuit of the country park.
Savings made because Dorset County Council upgraded pathways as part of the cycle route have enabled the Friends to commission Andy Frost of Andy Frost Designs Ltd. to design and install wooden Green Gym equipment specially for children, a perfect complement to the wooden play galleon he created in 2010.
Many local people and organisations have supported the Green Gym Project, and the finished installation is a tribute to their efforts.