LEIGH'S first outdoor gym officially opens on Saturday.

The gym, in Bonchurch Park, was created via an agreement between Leigh Town Council and Southend Council, which owns the land, as well as funding from the Cory Environment Trust.

Town councillor Caroline Parker said she has been waiting a long time for the plan to come to fruition.

She said: “I first suggested the idea to the town council in 2007 but it was voted down at the time.

“I had seen a documentary about other gyms which had been set up in the north of England in which GPs had been interviewed saying they were seeing their elderly patients less.

“When they did turn up, they said they had been using outdoor gym equipment two or three times a week, which seemed to be improving their health, and I thought ‘what a great idea.’ “We have a lot of retired people living in Leigh but, as the gym will be free to use, it will also be available to anyone struggling financially who cannot afford a gym membership.”

The gym will be officially opened on March 14.