Plans for a new outdoor gym at a Kinross park have got underway.
Equipment could be placed near the children’s play area at the town’s Kirkgate Park near Loch Leven.
The idea came after Kinross Community Council chairperson Lynne McKay thought an outdoor exercise area would have been useful for her when she broke her wrists.
She raised the idea with the community council, which then began consulting locals on their thoughts.
And now, organisers are hoping to raise thousands of pounds to help make their plans a reality.
Accessible and free
Plans are at an early stage but Lynne hopes it will provide an accessible area for people to exercise for free.
Lynne said: “I have seen these types of parks all over the place but there’s not a full-on fitness park here.
“I thought it was a good idea so I raised it with the community council.
“If the exercise equipment is near the park, people can exercise when their kids are playing.
“We have liaised with Nature Scotland, Perth and Kinross Council, and Greenspaces to make sure what we are doing wouldn’t impact the nature areas.”
She added: “The lockdown itself was very difficult. There are a lot of teenagers who are too big for a play park but they have not really got anywhere they can go.”
Lynne is a keen cyclist but was unable to undertake her favourite form of exercise when she broke her wrists.
She was left unsure about her exercise options and believes an outdoor exercise area could have been useful for her.
“I find it a great release to cycle but when I couldn’t do that, I thought ‘What about people who are restricted?’” she said.
Scottish Conservative councillor Callum Purves of the Kinross-shire ward believes the plans will have a positive impact on the community.
He said: “It is a very positive project. We are trying to encourage people to be more active in their everyday lives.
“It is a good alternative to having to use gyms. I think that it will be well-received.”
Fundraising
Lynne says feedback so far for the plans has been “mostly positive” and that the community council is now trying to raise £35,000 to put them into place.
“We asked what people thought on the Kinross-shire Community page,” she said.
“We had back and forward messages saying ‘We would use it’.
“There have been offers by members of the community to fundraise and we are applying for a lot of community investment funds.
“It will be free and accessible to all. We hope to do our best and we can only try.”
Has this been done before?
This idea has also been implemented elsewhere in Courier Country as part of efforts to encourage more people to exercise.
In 2019, equipment was installed in Edzell, Angus after the Edzell Village Improvement Society (EVIS) was awarded £30,000.
Seven pieces of gym equipment were placed adjacent to the popular children’s park, with project volunteers saying it would enhance facilities for the local community.