Alconbury Recreation Field Charity was founded in 1980 and offers unique sports and recreational facilities unavailable elsewhere in the local area. The Charity's aims are to promote healthy lifestyles and fitness through sport and leisure.
We hope to enhance our facilities by installing an outdoor gym for use by adults and young people of eleven upwards. All our selected equipment aims at meeting the needs of a variety of ages and abilities, with cardiovascular, strengthening and toning equipment included in our selection. In so doing we hope to encourage new groups of people to exercise, as well as providing an additional training facility for those already exercising.
We have many spectators who watch teams play and would like to encourage them to exercise using this equipment, along with other field users such as walkers, joggers and those who come to enjoy our social facilities.
Having looked at many options, visited other sports fields, tried lots of different equipment and spoken to a wide cross section within our community we know our chosen equipment will be used and enjoyed by many. Much of it allows two people to exercise together making it more sociable, generating laughter, improving wellbeing and increasing motivation to keep fit. We have visited the Exercise4Seniorsclass and showed them our plans.
The members were all very enthusiastic as was their teacher who would like to hold circuit sessions using this equipment. Our Zumba class were also positive about the project and offered to help raise funds for additional equipment.
The young people we met at the Alconburys' Youth Club were excited by the prospect of an outdoor gym and specifically requested a 'Chin Up Bar.' They told us that they enjoy keeping fit but are too young to join a gym.
Living in a rural community transport can also be a problem for them as well as others. This gym would provide an excellent facility for people without transport and well as those with limited financial resources who would find gym membership too expensive. This equipment is free to use, accessible to all, promotes health and wellbeing and provides an opportunity for social engagement in a lovely rural, open air setting.
Since the foundation of the charity in 1980, until his recent death aged 79, Professor Robert (Bob) Berrington MBE has been Chairman. During his working life Bob was our hugely popular village GP. He always looked after his own health and encouraged healthy lifestyles in others. Dr Duncan Rae our current GP and the healthcare team at the Alconbury Surgery continue to promote this and fully endorse this project.
Currently there are a wealth of programmes on television about health and lifestyle and exercise is something we all encouraged to do. We consider the creation of a 'fresh air gym' available to all would be a fitting memorial.
