19th February 2026
Across the UK, Friends of Parks groups look after more than 27,000 public green places, managing, protecting and improving these spaces with the support of the National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces, which represents more than 7,000 such local groups. They’re often the unsung heroes of their communities, organising events and promoting conservation across parks and gardens that people who live nearby love, while handling everything from litter-picking to planting trees and flowers.
If you’re part of a Friends group caring for a local green space, you may not have considered installing outdoor gym equipment in your area. However, it’s a straightforward, high-impact project that can deliver multiple benefits, for example:
An outdoor gym is a highly visible amenity, one which will have a long-term benefit on the community, attracting interest and support from local people as they enjoy all the benefits of exercising outside and improving their health and fitness.
Having a gym under the sky will maximise use of your park, increasing footfall and drawing people into your park or garden that may never have used it before. Having a gym may also make some feel more inclined to return on occasions when they’re not exercising.
At the same time, this positive and greater use of the park could play a part in reducing anti-social behaviour. In some ways, it will almost be like have Neighbourhood Watch-style surveillance in place.
While many people are deeply committed to helping out in their local area, it can sometimes be hard to find extra volunteers for special projects. But the great thing about installing an outdoor gym is that you won’t need to call in any additional volunteer support. The company you partner with will take care of everything from start to finish and supply all the people power needed.
Outdoor gym equipment is more cost-effective than you may have realised. But if funding is required, at Fresh Air Fitness we’re very happy to help with Friends groups’ fundraising efforts – we have a detailed funding guide with various grant funding opportunities currently available across the UK. Our expert team can assist you with identifying and applying for grants.
If you thought upkeep of your outdoor gym would be a headache, think again. Fresh Air Fitness equipment is designed to be low-maintenance, durable and a genuine long-term investment. All our products come with a 25-year warranty on main structural parts, a five-year guarantee on paint plus a two-year one for bearings.
Every gym also comes with a complimentary maintenance guide and we have a dedicated aftersales support team along with a full range of spare parts in our UK warehouse available for quick dispatch should they ever be required. We can also provide annual maintenance and inspection packages, talk to one our helpful team today to find out more.
As a leading, award-winning provider of outdoor exercise equipment, Fresh Air Fitness partners with Friends organisations nationwide to enhance and support local outdoor spaces. With nearly 20 years of industry expertise, we have delivered more than 5,000 outdoor gyms across the UK, reflecting our commitment to quality, innovation, and community wellbeing.
We could help you improve your own local green space. Take a closer look at our products, designed for all levels of fitness and ability, and get in touch for a more detailed look at what we could do for your community.
