ORGANISERS of a couch to 5k group are hoping to make their village the “fittest in the country” after landing cash to start a community gym.
PE teacher Chis Hughes’ idea of starting a gym in a disused classroom at Staindrop Academy has been realised after Teesdale Action Partnership approved a £24,000 grant last month.
With the help of the village’s couch to 5km fitness group it is hoped the new gym will be up and running early next year.
Les Blair, who co-ordinates the group, said: “We have a provisional date of January for the gym to open. We have 14 volunteers registered to run the gym which is better than our expectation.”
The plan is for people in and around the village have use of the fully equipped gym for a nominal membership fee pupils from the academy will also be able to use it.
Some £20,000 worth of equipment, including treadmills, cross-trainers, rowing machines and resistance weights, is to be installed once the classroom conversion has been completed.
The scheme also has the backing of the village’s county councillors George Richardson and James Rowlandson, who are giving a portion of their neighbourhood budgets towards the project.
Cllr Rowlandson said: “The more we can do to get kids to be more energetic the better. Obesity is a growing epidemic so the more sports we can get them to do the better it is.”
Fitness is growing in popularity in Staindrop with the couch to 5km group numbers swelling since its start in January to include 49 members, many of whom are looking forward to using the new facility, particularly in the winter months..
Mr Blair said: “Most of the people [who joined] fit in with what the couch to 5k was created for in that they have never done exercise or haven’t done for years.
“The enthusiasm in the village is incredible. At the school’s open day, Chris [Hughes] said there were more questions about the gym than about the school. We want to be the fittest village in the country.”
