Pensioners’ playground
Dedicated outdoor gym for OAPs
SENIOR citizens have been given a chance to show they’re young at heart – with the launch of the country’s first ‘Pensioners’ Playground’.
In a bid to help OAPs stay sprightly, a set of specially-designed outdoor gym equipment has been installed at Inverleith Park in Edinburgh
The machines sit beside a traditional children’s playpark – so grandparents and children can play and exercise together.
The equipment includes a set of tai chi wheels, double ‘air walkers’, hip twisters, an ‘air skier’ and a self-weighted rowing machine – all designed to provide gentle exercise for the over-60s.
Community group Friends of Inverleith Park campaigned and fundraised for the project.
Treasurer Joan Beattie, 66, said: ‘We wanted the park to be sociable so that more than one person could be on at a time.
‘A lot of grandparents take their grandchildren to the swing park. But once the kids get to seven or eight, they don’t really want their grandparent there or standing by the slide.’
The project cost £13,000, supported by donations and grants from the Stockbridge Community Council and supermarkets Tesco and Waitrose.
The playground opened at the end of last month. Mrs Beattie said: ‘Every time I walk past I see someone new. There are people using it all the time and that is really all we wanted. They should have them everywhere.’
Britain’s first Pensioner Playground opened in London’s Hyde Park in 2010.
Madeline Elsdon of the Knightsbridge Association, who spearheaded the project, said: ‘There are so few facilities for older people in our parks and many find indoor gyms expensive and intimidating with all that firm flesh on show.
‘We proposed a fun outside gym for those who are still young at heart and want to exercise. It’s also a chance to socialise and have fun. You’re never too old to play.’
Scottish Government senior medical officer John Nugent said: ‘It can sometimes be a challenge to find a form of exercise that is both enjoyable and readily available.
‘Using Scotland’s “natural gym” to walk or cycle is an ideal way to combine exercise with an appreciation of Scotland’s natural beauty.’