It may seem hard to believe, but this summer marks 20 years since London won the chance to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a landmark in UK sporting history. We all remember watching events on TV (or in person if we were lucky enough) with huge excitement.
At the time, Sheffield was a significant training ground for a number of teams, including those competing in the diving and table tennis competitions. The Yorkshire city also hosted the Olympic Torch relay. So it played a key role in the Games that summer.
21st July 2025
Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, a regeneration scheme on the site of the former Don Valley Stadium in Attercliffe, in the city’s East End, is a unique development focusing on wellbeing, health, sport and physical activity. Its aim is to have a lasting positive impact on the local community through a combination of innovation, sport and health infrastructure.
Its world-class amenities include accessible public green spaces, a training centre for elite athletes, a community stadium including a 3G pitch, a specialist academy and sixth form and a research facility. Meanwhile its Centre for Child Health Technology focuses on improving child health outcomes. Other initiatives, such as the Outdoor City run routes and junior parkrun, have helped hundreds to get moving, enjoy the outdoors and connect with others.
Indeed, this legacy park is the only venue outside a host city that the IOC (International Olympic Committee) allows to have ‘Olympic’ in its name.
Fresh Air Fitness, the leading UK provider of outdoor gym facilities, was asked to fit an ‘Active Space’ as part of the 10-year anniversary of the 2012 Games. The idea was to enable the local community build movement into their day, even if sessions lasted as little as five minutes.
Our mission was to design and install ‘on-brand’ equipment into these world-class amenities, to give everyone the chance to exercise, regardless of fitness level or ability. We also knew accessibility, inclusion and social integration were key elements of this project.
What’s more, the range of machines would need to cover cardio, strength, balance and flexibility, with some pieces suitable for wheelchair users.
With funding from the Westfield Health Charitable Trust, and the support of the park’s project team, the Active Space officially opened in October 2022.
The gym allows for up to 26 users at any one time, with the facility centred on our award-winning Big Rig, with its variety of pull-up bars, dips and ladders plus multiple workout stations located around the edge of the equipment.
We also added pieces from our wheelchair-accessible and variable resistance range so that the whole community could benefit from the amenity, from advanced exercisers to those embarking on their fitness journey.
The outdoor gym had a compacted, permeable stone base with a nicely defined edged perimeter, on top of which we laid a high-quality 210m2 rubber wet-pour surfacing solution. Bespoke signage provides information on use of the equipment alongside some motivational tips, plus we landscaped the whole area to make it look better.
The equipment itself was manufactured in bespoke colours, delivered in orange and grey showcasing Westfield Health’s brand colours.
The client said at the time:
“Fresh Air Fitness went above and beyond to provide exactly what we needed, including arranging bespoke colours. We really appreciated their flexibility and professionalism”.
We love going to the Olympic Legacy in Action Community Day each year, and enjoyed returning to the site again recently for the 2025 occasion. Sponsored by Westfield Heath, these annual events allow those attending to try out a variety of sporting activities free of charge at taster sessions.
Equally, we believe outdoor gyms in public spaces such as the one in Sheffield have a key role to play in bringing people together in the interests of public health, all over the UK. Facilities like this are so important to local communities, encouraging movement and keeping healthy.
Fresh Air Fitness helps schools, parks, councils, residential homes, corporate campuses and other settings and we could help your community, too.
Get in touch today to learn more about how outdoor gym equipment could improve the quality of life of your staff, residents or pupils.
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