HEALTH: Worthing's Green Gym is a blooming success
WITH the number of overweight and obese people ever on the increase, we are constantly being told to exercise more.
But for those who do not enjoy donning Lycra and heading to the gym, there is a scheme in Findon combining exercise with conservation.
Known as the Green Gym, the scheme is run in partnership between Worthing Borough Council and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV).
Participants in the free weekly sessions on The Gallops get involved with work to conserve the natural area and encourage species and wildlife diversity.
Julian Stevens, the council's leisure development manager, said: "We don't have to have this traditional view of what keeping fit is, which is people clad in Lycra.
"That suits some people, but for others it scares them to death. The Green Gym gives people a variety of choice and shows people that you can be physically active in a multitude of ways."
The scheme has been running since October, 2008, and was funded by a 12,000 grant from West Sussex Primary Care Trust.
Most of the money is used to pay the BTCV, which provides the group leaders and tools.
But with funding due to run out this summer,
and no definite money secured for the next set of courses, it is hoped the group will be able to become self-sufficient.
Julian is looking for people to volunteer to be trained up as group leaders.
He will then use the remainder of the funding to buy tools for the group.
So far, each three-hourly session, held on Wednesdays from 10am, has been at The Gallops, but Julian said the future of the "nomadic" group could see it moving to Cissbury Ring for clean-up projects there.
Contact Julian at julian.stevens@worthing.gov.uk or call 01903 221442.
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Tuesday 14 February 2012
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