| abstract | - The green gym movement creates exercise sessions in the great outdoors. Whether it’s a heavy workout or more moderate exercise, green gyms have it all. For the more active, digging out ponds or driving in fence posts burn more calories than an aerobics class. Yet even less strenuous jobs such as pruning or planting can help people keep fit and healthy. Keep fit through gardening and conservation. Groups of people are encouraged to take part in regular gardening and conservation sessions to keep fit. Just like a normal work-out, they start by warming up before getting stuck into the activities. The results are two-fold. As well as improving the person’s health, the gyms create something for the community. There are now more than 100 green gyms across the UK / United Kingdom (also known as ) File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg – some with as many as 400 people taking part. Between them, they have cleared scrub land, improved parks, designed gardens for schools and redeveloped riverside spaces. The movement is supported by BTCV (formerly the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) which works with partners including GPs, primary care trusts, councils and the voluntary sector. The idea is to make the gyms self-sustainable after two years and so BTCV staff help train volunteers to run the groups. Most end up surviving in the long term with one gym now in its twelfth year. Engaging the mind and body Nina Sperinck, BTCV’s Health Development Manager, says: “The idea is that there is something for everyone. People can be turned off by traditional forms of exercise, but we get all sorts of people getting involved for very different reasons. It is not just about physical exercise, the mental health benefits are just as important. Being outside, mixing with people, is good for your wellbeing.” Green gyms were the idea of Dr William Bird, an Oxfordshire GP, who is now the Strategic Health Adviser for Natural England. He helped set up one in partnership with BTCV in the late 1990s in the hope that his patients would benefit from physical activity outdoors. They did – and so have many more people. Evaluation of the programme by Oxford Brookes University found that 99 per cent of participants reported increased health and confidence from taking part. The work has also calculated that for every £1 spent on green gyms £2.55 is saved in health costs through benefits including improving the management of conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, tackling problem drinking and reducing the severity of mental health problems. The last point is illustrated by the experience of a bipolar patient from Hastings who was encouraged to get involved with his local green gym by his psychiatric nurse. He says: “I used to get depressed about the future, but now that is not the case. I have been on medication for 18 years, but since doing this I have halved the amount I take. My life is a lot better.” Green gyms – high level of retention As well as getting people active, the gyms are good at retaining people as the research showed seven in 10 users go on to attend for more than six months. One of those is Anna Ware, who got involved in a green gym in Camden in London after losing her job. She says: “I’ve also met so many different and fantastic people through the green gym, some went for the same reason I started going, looking for work and needing a break from writing applications, some were recovering from their previous lifestyles, some were avid environmentalists, some were mental health service users. Every person had their own story, and what always amazed me was the ability and natural inclination everyone had to work together.” The Camden gym has become one of the most successful. It has been running for two years and involves more than 300 people. They have got involved in a variety of projects, including one to plant orchards in some of the most deprived housing estates in the borough. The orchards have proved popular with local residents who are now involved in maintaining the sites and picking the fruit. New outlook, greater prospects Mike Cooke, Camden Council’s Deputy Chief Executive, says: “The orchard planting project has made a real difference to the lives of residents who live on the estates. This was a great example of partnership working as everyone from tenant and resident associations to local students got involved to make the orchards happen.” Creating stronger community cohesion Indeed, greater community cohesion is just another of the added benefits of the movement as is the ability of the programme to help people back into employment. Alongside the green gyms, BTCV also runs a variety of other projects, including food growing initiatives and school-based programmes. As well as valuable experience in organising activities and carrying out jobs such as risk assessments, volunteers get access to training schemes including NVQ qualifications and first aid. The result? Nearly 20,000 people found employment last year after working on one of BTCV’s projects. BTCV Chief Executive Tom Flood says this is just the start. He wants to see the NHS and local government work with his organisation to ensure every area has an outdoors activity programme of one sort or another. Contact Nina Sperinck Tel: 01296 330 033 Email: n.sperinck@btcv.org.uk Links BTCV
|
