Construction of outdoor community gym at Sanquhar, Forres to start in October

FORRES will have an own outdoor gym by the end of November.

The required funding is in place and the legal documents signed ahead of work at the site off Sanquhar Road that is due to start in October.

Recently retired Forres Academy teacher, Ann Rossiter, spearheaded the campaign for the new facility through her involvement with Forres Community Sports Hub.

She said: “£72,000 has been raised for the gym with up to £45,000 being awarded from Berryburn Community Fund. The gym will be placed on the grounds at the Academy with access through the school’s car park. It will belong to the community and be able to be used by anyone at any time.

“In the event of a new school being built, the gym will not be moved.”

Maintenance and inspection will be Moray Council’s responsibility but anything over and above routine maintenance will be the responsibility of Forres Community Council and the community sports hub.

Earlier this summer, the community was asked to vote for a preferred design. The winning design was ‘Kompan’ (see https://www.kompan.com/en/gb/products/outdoor-fitness).

The equipment includes: Cross Training Combi 4 compact, Arm Bike, City Bike, Cross Trainer, Trim Trail and Combi 5 along with safety signs for the use of the equipment. There will also be shelters and seating.

The funding for the shelters came from a most generous donation of £12,000 from the late Colin Lipscomb.

“The gym equipment comes with a 25-year warranty,” said Mrs Rossiter. “It has been ordered through Moray Council allowing us better value for money. The supplier has also given a good discount.”

It is proposed to set up a GoFundMe page for regular users so that the gym eventually becomes self-funding. Another proposal is to provide an honesty box for users.

Forres Sports Hub have already raised £500-£600 per annum that will be needed for annual maintenance.

Mrs Rossiter said: “The Sports Hub has raised £600 so far from the sale of handmade tote bags made by fashion and textile students, a quiz night and donation.

“I will be working on social media and a GoFundMe or crowd funding page shortly but I would like further discussion on this and how people can best support the outdoor gym.”

A social media page will be created to post times that the Academy PE department might be using it. The school will have priority during school hours as part of the funding bid was to create an outdoor classroom.

It will be fully open to the public out of school hours, weekends and during holidays.

Use of the equipment will be at a person’s own risk. It is for ages 14 and over. If under this age, then a user’s parent or guardian must take responsibility.

Mrs Rossiter said that “We hope that it will be used responsibly and instructions on how best to use the equipment is followed to get maximum benefit for the user.

“We also hope that the installation will remove barriers, encourage people to get out into the fresh air and participate in physical activity.”