Lymm Outdoor Gym

Aim

We want to set up an Outdoor Gym in Ridgway-Grundy Park, Lymm for the benefit of local residents and Sports groups.

Our Project

We want to set up an Outdoor Gym in Ridgway-Grundy Park, Lymm for the benefit of local residents and Sports groups.  This has the support of Lymm Parish Council.

Benefits

This will be a much-needed facility in the village, encouraging villagers to improve their health and fitness. The photo(s) show(s) part of a typical installation.  We hope to include a range of apparatus for building both muscle tone and cardio-vascular fitness.  The facility will be free to use 7 days a week by a variety of individuals, small groups and clubs.  They could visit the park specifically to use the facility, include it as a regular activity or they could be members of sports clubs using it on training nights.   Local sports groups have expressed strong support, especially those without facilities of their own.

It is well known that regular exercise improves both physical and mental wellbeing; and this will have benefits for the wider community as well as the individual.  Some people are discouraged from exercising by the lack of opportunities or facilities locally or the cost of gym membership.

Background

In times past on holiday, we have noticed and used outdoor exercise equipment, either consisting of wooden beams and benches, or more sophisticated set-ups with moving parts. From this experience came this idea.  Several sites were considered for an Outdoor Gym in Lymm before settling on Ridgway-Grundy Park, following a questionnaire to local sports clubs and advice from equipment suppliers.

Warrington Borough Council own the Park and suggested applying for landfill tax funding from WREN.  They kindly said that they would manage the grant application. 

In February 2017, the application was submitted. The cost of the gym was estimated at just over £30,000, with a contribution of £2750 from the Parish Council and £2,500 from Lymm Round Table - the rest to come hopefully from WREN.  We understood that there was a good chance of the application being successful but unfortunately it was turned down.  WREN said we could apply again in the next funding round in November.  

Our bid scored 19/30 and the cut-off score in this grant round was 21/30, so we just missed out.  Our application was felt to be good and sound but we fell short on two criteria: -

1. It was thought that there should be more 3^rd party funding
2. In spite of the survey of sports clubs, there should have been a wider public consultation

So we have decided to address these two areas by:

1. Using 'crowd-funding' to gain some extra 3^rd party money
2. For the public consultation, we are using  an online survey.  follow this link:
   www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/lymm-outdoor-gym/
   and please share it with others.  We need feedback both positive and negative from all sections of the local community

Why Crowdfund?

When we heard that additional 3^rd party funding was needed we could have gone back to the Round Table and / or the Parish Council with a begging bowl.   Our aim is not to cover the full cost of the gym, the bulk of the funds will be any grant from WREN; rather it was to bring the community on board by making contributions, however small, and hence demonstrate their commitment.  We have set a 'target'  of £2,750 which after charges deducted by Crowderfunder should yeild £2,500 -  the same as that from the Round Table.  If a mere 275 supporters contribute £10 each, we will reach our target, or with a larger average donation, even fewer supporters.

So please support us in whatever way you can.  To use the slogan of a well-known supermarket "every little helps!"

Finally, What If?

Assuming a worst-case scenario and our application for landfill tax funding is turned down by WREN again and the Gym becomes highly unlikely.  Plan B is that any funds raised are given to Lymm Parish Council to distribute to local schools for sports and fitness equipment / activities.

This project successfully funded on 31st October 2017