Matt Palmer Trust

What a proud and humbling moment as we celebrate the opening of the Norbury Outdoor gym, the 5^th and final facility, to support the people of Croydon in promoting positive mental health through physical activity.

A massive thank you to all of you for the support in making this happen. We are delighted to report that a study by Croydon council has shown the huge impact this is having to people all over the borough in becoming more active, being social and having access to top-quality exercise equipment that can be used by everyone.

For anyone interested in hearing more, details on the study and impact will be featured on the MPT website over the coming weeks. If you can't wait and use Instagram, take a look at the Mental Muscle Community page for a group that is using the Purley Way gym to great effect.

Click here (https://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2020/01/free-to-all-gym-opens-in-norbury-park/)   to see us featured in the local news showcasing the project and an interview with our Chair Luke.

The article noted:

This latest gym is like the others free to use and part of an initiative to encourage residents to lead healthy and active lifestyles.

Local residents and park users were given the opportunity to help decide the Outdoor Active Space’s location and equipment, which includes balance beams, a space walker, parallel bars and a body twister.

Becoming physically active in outdoor spaces, is a great distraction from daily stressors, according to the charity’s website. Exercise is a powerful medicine, it says, especially for people with mental health challenges

The Matt Palmer Trust, which works on supporting the wellbeing of people of all ages in the UK and Ireland, funded the project with grants. Equipping an outdoor gym typically costs around £100,000. The project in total cost nearly £500,000, with funding coming from the Trust, the council and public health funding.

The Matt Palmer Trust was set up approximately six years ago, in memory of a personal friend of the co-founders, Matt Palmer who suffered from depression.

Trust initiatives try to combat the stressful London routine and also “raise awareness of depression and provide the vital support needed to enjoy a strong mental well-being”.

We're proud to announce that the fourth outdoor gym has been successfully launched in Kings George's Field, Selhurst, Croydon (Sept-18).

Working in conjunction with Croydon Council, Wicksteed, local councillors and Fields in Trust, this is the 4^th of 5 outdoor gyms planned for South London and funded by the Matt Palmer Trust.

We hope that this free to access, and state of the art, outdoor gym equipment will help improve both the physical and mental well-being of the local communities; and help make a difference to peoples lives.

It was great to see on the day that local residents again were already using the equipment before it officially launched and speaking with them they expressed their delight about having such great equipment to use without the cost of paying a gym membership.

With national and local funding at an all time low, collaborative projects such as this continue to help raise awareness of mental health issues and help improve people's lives in our local communities.

The Matt Palmer Trust joined forces with Coventry City FC, and several other mental health charities, to promote mental health awareness at their televised game against Sunderland FC (Sept-18).

The Matt Palmer Trust stood side by side with like minded organisations, 'It takes balls to talk', The Heera Foundation and the Recovery & Wellbeing Academy, in delivering positive messages on mental health to fans.

With a celebrity appearance from Trust favourite Rob Beckett, the day was a complete success and we even raised some funds from the kind donations of fans.

​​​We'd like to thank everyone involved, especially Chairman Tim Fisher & Health Manager Nathan Isom for making this possible.