A new outdoor fitness space and sculpture, Allegra’s Gym, is opening in Winchester, offering the community a place to meet, gather, play and exercise together. The outdoor calisthenics equipment, designed for bodyweight exercise, has been donated by Allegra’s Ambition.

It is sited next to the playing fields of the Winchester Sports Centre at Bar End. As well as being free to use, the outdoor gym’s equipment is different from the Sports Centre’s machine-based exercise equipment and therefore widens and improves the overall offering. The installation uses sustainable, long-lasting materials including Accoya hardwood and Rhynomulch surfacing. A public art competition was run by SPUD (https://www.spud.org.uk/), an arts and education charity, and the winning designers were Studio : B.A.D. Architects (https://studiobad.co.uk/). The integrated sculpture, gym and seating was created by MoveArt (https://moveart.swiss/en/vision/). Ground and construction works were undertaken by Tuakana, and Marbas Group provided civil engineering advice.

We plan to offer introductory Calisthenics sessions at the site. Please do get in contact if you are a calisthenics teacher and would like to be involved.