A new outdoor gym is now open at Alfreton Welfare Recreation Ground, offering residents a free and inclusive way to get active, charge their phones, and feel safer in public spaces.
Installed as part of a Safer Streets Fund initiative aimed at improving safety and inclusivity in public spaces, the gym helps promote confidence among women and girls while encouraging healthy activity for all. It features six energy-generating bikes from The Great Outdoor Gym Company, designed to suit a range of abilities.
The setup includes Hand Bikes, Recumbent Bikes, and Re-Cycle Bikes, allowing users to sit or stand, pedal with their arms or legs, and adjust resistance for a personalised workout. The bikes are arranged in a circular formation, facing inwards, to encourage social interaction and create a more welcoming, connected environment.
As users work out, their movement generates electricity, enabling wireless mobile phone charging during exercise.
The gym was officially launched at a community safety event on 29 April, hosted by Amber Valley Borough Council’s Community Safety Team.
The event brought together partners from Derbyshire Constabulary, Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service, Places Leisure, Futures Housing, Sporting Communities, and Blend Youth Project.
Local schoolchildren joined in free tennis sessions, received personal safety items, and were among the first to try out the new kit.
The installation was funded by the Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner’s Safer Streets Fund, which supports projects that address violence against women and girls, neighbourhood crime and anti-social behaviour. These are areas that remain high priorities across Derbyshire.
Amber Valley Borough Council secured £32,000 from the Safer Streets Fund to install the new outdoor gym at Alfreton Welfare Recreation Ground, alongside a further £19,000 to improve lighting at Alfreton Welfare, Heanor Memorial Park and Whitemoor Recreation Ground.
These upgrades build on recent improvements to the park’s tennis courts and play area, helping to create a safer, more welcoming space that encourages regular, positive use.
The new gym has been installed in a prominent, well-lit area of the park, where users can feel comfortable and aware of their surroundings.
By encouraging regular use and improving visibility into the evening, these changes support efforts to make public spaces feel more inclusive. Feedback from local consultations shows that women and girls, in particular, feel more confident using parks that are well-lit and busier throughout the day.
Councillor Elaine Sherman, Cabinet Member for Regulation and Community Safety at Amber Valley Borough Council, said: “This fantastic new addition to Alfreton Welfare Recreation Ground offers so much more than fitness. It’s about giving people, especially young women and girls, a space where they can feel safe, empowered, and part of their local community.
“We’ve used this vital funding to make meaningful improvements to our local parks and introduce an innovative outdoor gym to the borough for the very first time. It’s a positive step in our ongoing work to create safer and more inclusive public spaces for everyone.”
Amber Valley Borough Council is now exploring opportunities to install similar outdoor gyms in other parks around the borough, helping more residents benefit from safe, accessible, and sustainable exercise.
A spokesperson from The Great Outdoor Gym Company said: "We're proud to see our equipment being used in such a meaningful way. It was fantastic to see local children and families getting involved and enjoying the space at the recent launch event, and to know it’s part of a wider initiative to support safer, healthier communities is something we’re proud to contribute to."
The outdoor gym is free to use and open all year round, and Amber Valley Borough Council encourages residents to head down to Alfreton Welfare Recreation Ground and give it a try. Users can also download the TGO Activate app in advance to track workouts and access guided fitness content. To learn more about the equipment and app, visit www.tgo-activate.com.
Contact the team directly on 01773 570222 or email enquiry@ambervalley.gov.uk
