Outdoor gym for Broadclyst

The results are in! A voting event has been held by Broadclyst Parish Council Council for residents of Broadclyst to choose their new free-to-use outdoor gym.

The turnout was impressive, with 72 residents from all age-groups coming along to vote at The Pavilions on the afternoon of Friday 17 October.

Residents got to vote on which one of three designs they wanted installed, the winner with 56% of all votes was a design from Sutcliffe Play. This design features six pieces of equipment that up to ten people can use at once. The result now needs to be ratified by Broadclyst Parish Council and EDDC to release the available money.

East Devon District Council and Broadclyst Parish Council have been working together to provide residents of Broadclyst with the free-to-use outdoor gym that they want.

The outdoor gym facility has been proposed and chosen by the local community. In June this year, the district and parish councils asked community groups, residents and other organisations to put forward their ideas as to how £11,800 of the sports funding accumulated from recent Broadclyst housing developments (Section 106 money) should be spent.

East Devon District Council lets local people decide where sports and play money from developments in their parish gets spent, and are one of the few local authorities that do so.

The eligible, possible and affordable ideas were then taken out to residents and they got to vote on which ones they wanted to happen in Broadclyst. One of the winning ideas was to spend £9,000 on free-to-use outdoor gym facilities.

A working group from Broadclyst Parish Council then decided the gym equipment will be best placed clustered together in recreation field and asked companies to submit their designs for the outdoor gym. These designs are what residents got to choose from. 

Councillor Iain Chubb, East Devon's cabinet member for environment, said: “I'd like to thank the residents of Broadclyst who proposed the idea and also to those who took part in the voting. The outdoor gym combines gentle fitness training and being out in the fresh air. It will be a really positive addition to the community and I'm sure it will be well used.”

Broadclyst Parish Council's Chairman, Councillor Chris Pepper, added: “The outdoor gym project will help encourage a healthy lifestyle, improving long term health benefits and social interaction within the parish. Being freely available to all, economic barriers which may prevent gym membership are removed which is hugely positive for our community”.