Imagine an outdoor exercise class where you’re not just working on your own health and fitness. You’re also helping to create brand-new green spaces in your town or transforming the UK’s community parks and woodlands.That, in a nutshell, is a Green Gym! Lewisham Green Gym will deliver two sessions per week, one of which will be exclusively for young people. The other session will be open to all! Green Gym volunteers represent the whole spectrum of the local community – old, young, working, retired and unemployed. Some come because they want to get fitter. Some join in because their local health practitioners have referred them or because they’d like to improve their job prospects. After a proper warm-up, volunteers will be guided in food growing activities and help restore local community allotments. Food grown on the site will be distributed to local charities and community groups to help provide healthy meals to those in need.

What we'll deliver:

• Deliver two Green Gym sessions per week in Lewisham
• Recruit and train volunteer leaders to support delivery
• Improve the health and well-being of volunteers

Why it's a great idea:

Green Gyms typically attract volunteers who want to improve the environment and access to nature and foster a sense of community. However volunteers find they gain much more than expected from participating and experience improved health, wellbeing and resilience. This uniquely enables TCV to engage and support people who do not typically access local services, and may be at risk or isolated.

Steps to get it done:

• Deliver 100 Green Gym sessions
• Hold annual event for stakeholder, residents and volunteers
• Produce annual report
• Promote Green Gym and develop referral pathways
• Recruit and train Volunteer Officers
• Recruit Green Gym Project Officer
• Re-launch weekend Green Gym sessions for young people
• Launch mid-week Green Gym session open to all
• Purchase tools and equipment for Green Gym
• Volunteer Officers to co-lead sessions

Whilst our activities vary, our inclusive approach has remained consistent; bringing people and places together to create happy, healthy and connected communities for everyone. Sir David Attenborough, TCV Vice President - speaking to TCV volunteers in 2016 said about our approach “Simply as a citizen, I want to thank TCV for how you have transformed the way in which I spend my urban life. You provide not only reasons but the ability to do things. You are an astonishing organisation."