Project Case Studies

BTCV Green Gym, North Bexley

Partners:

  • BTCV
  • Orbit Bexley Housing Association
  • Re-instate (registered mental health charity)

Summary

 The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) Green Gym concept was created by BTCV and Dr William Bird. It was first piloted in 1997 in an attempt to promote health gains and involve a new audience in conservation volunteering. The strategic aims of the Green Gym concept are:
  • Connecting people with place
  • Building healthy and sustainable communities
  • Increasing people's life skills

The Green Gym approach succeeds in bringing people to physical activity who may not wish to spend time exercising in sports or fitness centre environment. It also teaches new skills in horticulture, improves well-being whilst developing community spirit and providing residents with an opportunity to improve their local environment and estates. Whilst the Green Gym concept itself is not new, this project represents the first partnership between BTCV and a housing association, Orbit Bexley Housing Association (OBHA), part of the Orbit group. OBHA's Community Development Officer, Gareth Thomas, approached BTCV in 2005 and has been running a weekly Green Gym in partnership with BTCV ever since.

Description

 The BTCV Green Gym is a scheme that inspires you to improve your health and the environment at the same time. It offers you the opportunity to 'work out' in the open air through local, practical environmental or gardening work. Increasing physical activity and being outside in green space also has proven benefits for mental health, helping to reduce stress and depression. The BTCV Orbit Bexley Green Gym partnership provides a weekly session of environmental improvements across housing areas in North Bexley. These range from clearance of large banks of disused land which has been overtaken by shrubs and brambles to planting and maintenance of small border areas directly in front of residents' homes. At one area, in Compton Place the work has been directly linked to proposals developed by the Residents Forum to improve the estates. In this area the volunteers transformed overgrown and untidy borders by removing old shrubs and weeds and using old railway sleepers as borders to new raised beds with colourful plants to add interest to the area. This scheme continues to be maintained by the Green Gym team.

Gareth Thomas (Orbit Bexley) says of the project, "This is a good example of how housing associations can take the lead in bringing communities together and address the wider social agenda in terms of health and environment."

This project is currently funded until Summer 2007 through Orbit's Neighbourhood Renewal funding. It is supported by the Bexley Care Trust's Head of Public Health.

Process

 Once the initial partnership was established between OBHA and BTCV, the decision was made to run Green Gym sessions every Friday with residents and members of the local community. These sessions take place on OBHA estates and have been specifically designed to complement the grounds maintenance contract. BTCV designed, promoted and delivered the programme of events, engaging OBHA residents and other local people. Participation is promoted through OBHA, BTCV and by recommendations from health providers, Bexley Voluntary Service Council and is registered with the volunteer centre in Dartford. Resident involvement has been through consultation, planning and participation. The Green Gym concept is supported by the OBHA Residents Forum whose members actively participate in the weekly sessions. Several of the Green Gym's regular participants also come from Re-instate, a local mental health charity. Through the weekly sessions, many friendships have been formed and the group has gone from strength to strength with several participants continuing to work hard on the programme throughout the winter months.

Jess Rushton, of BTCV said, "It is great to see change even the smallest bit of colour can do to a site. We all get a great feeling knowing that we are not just helping improve the sites for wildlife but also for the local residents. It is also great to know that the volunteers are getting so much enjoyment out of their work, and getting fit at the same time, even if they do not really realise it!"

Evaluation

 The Bexley Green Gym has won a number of awards since it was established in 2006. These include the local inBiz awards (In Business for Neighbourhoods) and five medals in Bexley in Bloom for work done at Compton Place. The project also won the Bexley Environmental Challenge Community award. OBHA's Community Development Officer has actively engaged with residents through the Residents Association and Residents Forum meetings and on-site visits to discuss environmental improvements that the residents would like to see in the local area. The scheme is seen as a great success and has helped to foster a sense of pride in the local community.

Green Gym volunteer and resident representative, Val Walsh, commented of the work at Compton Place, "This has been a dream come true. I'm very happy and looking forward to improving the gardens this coming year". The green spaces across the estates that have benefited from the scheme appear brighter and more colourful. The partners are currently investigating funding sources to continue the project once funding completes in Summer 2007. In the longer term, the hope is that the project can become self sustaining if taken on by volunteers willing to take on such a responsibility. In the meantime, plans are underway to extend the scheme beyond OBHA and work in partnership with other housing associations in nearby boroughs.

Resources

 BTCV: www.BTCV.org.uk
Orbit Bexley: www.orbit.org.uk/bexley/
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