May 22, 2007

Lifetrail initiative launched in Tredegar Park

A revolutionary way to improve fitness in Newport adults has been launched at Tredegar Park.

Newport City Council has utilised more than £130,000 of Sports Council for Wales' Active Lifestyles Fund and Assembly money to develop projects that will encourage more people to become more active, more often.

One of the first schemes to benefit from this funding is the new Lifetrail initiative.

Lifetrail is an outdoor gym workout that is aimed specifically at Newport's older population which can help maintain health and independence.

There are a series of fitness stations along the main path in the park, which will provide opportunities for strengthening, flexibility and balance activities.

The equipment is spread over 740-metres in the park, meaning a total of 1,480-metres is covered if participants return to the start of the course.

The cabinet member for culture and recreation, councillor Ron Jones, said: “Lifetrail will provide a balanced work-out for our older residents that is both fun and beneficial to their health.

“Boosting activity levels among the population is one of our priorities, and I recommend that everyone experiences Lifetrail on a regular basis to help achieve the exercise goal of 30-minutes a day.”

Free inductions will be available to local people to try out the new equipment on every Tuesday morning at 10am from 22 May-10 July.

All induction sessions are subject to a minimum number of people attending and are booked on a first-come first-served basis

Councillor Jones added: “Lifetrail is open to all Newport’s residents and is completely free to use while Tredegar Park is open to the public.

“This positive initiative will definitely pay dividends in helping to create a healthier Newport, by providing easy-to-use fitness equipment in one of our most popular parks.”

Tredegar Park is open from 6am to within 30 minutes of dusk every day, except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

For more information or to book a place on the free induction session, contact older people’s development officer Suzanne Burrows on 01633 656656.

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