The outdoor gym has a long history at Glasgow Green and this new project to install a brand new gym will be accessible to all and increase confidence and encourage people to take part in more physical activity.
We often think of outdoor gyms as a new sight in our parks but Glasgow Green was donated the equipment of an outdoor gymnasium by Mr D G Fleming in 1860. A successful businessman from Glasgow who had moved to Manchester but still had fond memories of his native city. He saw an outdoor gymnasium in a park in Manchester and thought this would be a beneficial and so made his donation to the people of Glasgow. Included in its facilities was the large metal frame originally equipped with swings and gymnasium rings.
Watch the video below to hear from Trisha Ingram, Friends of Glasgow Green Chair about the history of an outdoor gym at Glasgow Green and plans for the future.
Setting up gym equipment in greenspaces provides people of all ages with opportunities to take part in physical activity in attractive environments, which is associated with positive outcomes for physical and mental health.
Trisha Ingram, Friends of Glasgow Green Chair says:
“We think bringing back an outdoor gym to Glasgow Green is important for a number of reasons. It’s about making the gym accessible for all, no contracts, no fees, you choose the time in a relaxed atmosphere. It is about making changes easier with you in charge whilst also enjoying this fantastic park.”
The Friends of Glasgow Green are looking to a number of funding sources to develop this project but your help is essential to help make the outdoor gym a reality.
So please donate and help bring a new outdoor gym to Glasgow's oldest park.
You can also donate to this project by TEXT, just TEXT GGYM50 £5 to 70070
If the amount you wish to donate is not listed on this page then please visit the Donate to a park page, choose Park Fund and then type "outdoor gym" in the Why did you want to support this park/city fund? field.
FAQs
Thanks for the question.
We can confirm that if the new outdoor gym is successful the old equipment frame will remain in place as this is a listed structure within Glasgow Green.
What kind of equipment will be installed in the new outside gym on Glasgow Green?
The final decisions on the specific equipment for the outdoor gym has not been made.
We are looking to install similar equipment to that in other parks in Glasgow. For example the image below shows the equipment installed at King George V park.
Updates
MyParkScotland provides a safe and easy way to make a donation to support this great project.
To make a donation, click on ‘Support Now’ and select your choice of Gift Level. If you are a UK tax payer, selecting a Level which includes Gift Aid means that we can top up your donation at no extra cost to you. Adding Gift Aid typically means that your online donation of, for example, £10 becomes a park investment of £11.53 (after paying platform and management fees). You need to provide your address to enable us to claim Gift Aid.
Gift Aid is a Government scheme which allows charities to increase the value of donations made to them. Gift Aid makes a huge difference to small charities and local organisations, but if they aren’t registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and HMRC, they can’t claim Gift Aid (and many that could claim Gift Aid don’t because they find the process too complicated). At MyParkScotland, we take care of the claim process on eligible donations, so that the Friends and community groups can concentrate on the great work they do in our parks.
We use PayPal to manage online donations and they charge a small platform fee for handling donations. We work hard to keep our fees as low as possible to make sure that as much of each donation as possible is invested in our parks. For donations without Gift Aid, at least 92% of your donation is invested in parks. MyParkScotland is a not-for-profit registered Scottish charity (No. SC045424) and any fees taken go towards covering essential operating costs.
You can find out more information about Gift Aid and MyParkScotland fees in the main Small Print section.
This is a fantastic idea and I for one would feel encouraged to take the time to exercise.
Pull up bars and parallel bars are essential in this project. Single use exercise equipment, found all over Glasgow, is so limiting for participants.
There are thousands of exercises you can perform using pull ups bars and parallel bars.
Check out Renfrewshire Calisthenics… http://scottishcalisthenics.blogspot.com
I’d be happy to support the project.
I agree with the above comment… i feel there should be multiple pull up bars and other free standing equipment that can be for multiple use by a few people. The single machines above are good only for individuals.
On a seperate note… i would like to be involved in the project and helping out somehow. You can ask the site for my email address to contact me.
Kind Regards,
Stephen
I think the callisthenics parks are way better and will be used a lot more. Callisthenics is growing so fast and the benefits are way better. Build more please. I see the bran new one in possilpark and it looks great.
Thanks
Is there a status report on this project? I’d really love it to become a reality 🙂
Jennifer, thanks for your question.
We have enquired on your behalf and been informed the outdoor gym kit has been ordered and will be installed over the next couple of months.
We will post up on MyPArkScotland once the equipment has been installed.
Thanks
MyParkScotland Team
Wow that’s great news – good work to all those who made it happen! I’m really looking forward to using it in the middle of my running route and I’ll stay tuned for updates!
Just seen the poor excuse for a gym in Glasgow green, I was thinking of donating to the project, thank god I never. I wouldn’t say a complete waste of money. Any form of exercise is good. But I feel a golden opportunity has been missed here. Scrap all those machines and give us one set of gymnastic rings(viewed by many experts as the best training apparatus.) If not then one pull-up bar would blow all that stuff out of the water. You obviously don’t read the comments here as a a few wise posts have tried to steer you in the right direction. Rant over, Merry Christmas.
No offence for that last post. I must have had a rush of blood to the head or something. Check out the amazing woodland workout area at Cuningar Loop.