New gym helps members get fit while helping others
Volunteers urged to combine exercise with doing good deeds
A new gym is looking to launch in Maidstone – but there’s not a treadmill in sight.
Instead, the venture – dubbed one of the UK’s most innovative new social projects – helps members get fit while helping others.
It urges people to put on their running shoes and go out to their communities and make their weekly jog into a social visit to an isolated elderly person, pounding the streets to do odd jobs for someone in need, or doing manual labour for a charity or organisation with other ‘gym’ members.
The projects can include things like tidying a park or decorating a community centre. In return, runners benefit from a qualified trainer to reach their fitness goals on the regular group runs, ranging from 3km to 15km.
The GoodGym idea was first piloted in Tower Hamlets and has since been rolled out to 12 London boroughs as well as Bristol and Bath, and has even been commissioned by councils and the NHS. Now the charity has Maidstone in its sights, and already has around 50 people signed up, but needs more.
Alexander Kenmure, head of business development at GoodGym, said: “We think gyms are a waste of energy. There are many neglected tasks and people in our communities that need that energy. We want to bring these things together.
“Our community of runners and qualified trainer will help people achieve their fitness goals by doing physical work that helps their community.
“Something we have been working on a lot is loneliness among older people; over one million people aged 65 and over admit to always or often feeling lonely, and 17% of those living alone see their family and friends less than once a week.
“We run to make social visits to isolated older people who we call our ‘coaches’ because they motivated us to keep going.”
Once the group has 100 runners registered, it will try to secure £25,000 startup funding. Membership is free, but a monthly donation is encouraged.
To sign up, visit tinyurl.com/ KMgoodgym