intu Merry Hill and The Conservation Volunteers have set up Dudley’s newest and most unique gym.

A new gym has opened to the people of Quarry Bank - but there’s no treadmill or exercise bike in sight.

The facility is a Green Gym, which encourages local people to get fit and active in the outdoors by clearing vegetation, picking up litter and providing general improvements to what would normally be wasteland. 

The scheme, which has been set up by 'The Conservation Volunteers' and intu Merry Hill, is aiming to attract members of the local community to help with the clear-up-process at Saltwells Nature Reserve. The reserve, which intu Merry Hill owns part of, is allowing staff to volunteer in employee action days where they will be encouraged to conserve the outdoor space and give the area a good tidy and even in time to grow fruits and vegetables.  

General Manager, Liz Taylor, said:

“We have a team of 200 at the centre and as part of intu’s commitment to corporate responsibility, we have given all our teams two days each which is a massive 400 days in total.

“We’ve got [volunteering] sessions every month through to July and our teams have committed for those sessions already.”

The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) which is working alongside Intu at Saltwells, was founded in 1959 and runs 140 Green Gyms across the country, encouraging people to improve their health and environment by working on projects benefiting local communities. The charity conserves green spaces by planting many trees, maintaining woodland spaces and promoting vibrant wildlife. 

The launch of Saltwells Green Gym took place on Monday 11th April on the site at Quarry Bank. Green Gym’s managing Director, Craig Lister said, 

“We know that by getting people back into the outdoors into green spaces, being active with a purpose and working in groups, the health benefit is much greater. We know that people burn more calories at a Green Gym. 

“We’re really keen that local people will come and volunteer…around this area we’ve already heard  local residents saying isn’t it great to see that space used again and the shopping trolleys and litter have gone”. 

TCV in particular aim to bring local people together and combat loneliness and enhance employment prospects and Councillor Steve Waltho, Mayor of Dudley has said:

“It’s a fantastic community partnership project for the people of Dudley.” 

Asked whether other Green Gyms could spring up across the Dudley Borough, Waltho continued:

“We are very proud and privileged to be the greenest of all the Black Country boroughs so there’s a lot of scope and potential for that in this borough.” 

Saltwells Nature Reserve is one of the UK’s largest urban nature reserves. It covers 247 acres and in 1992 it became the UK’s first reserve under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Project. It is only one of 15 in the UK to be awarded the title.

For more information on volunteering at Saltwells’ Green Gym visit tcv.org.uk.