New outdoor gym equipment for St Cuthbert’s

Following a successful application to the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund, St Cuthbert’s Catholic High in School in St Helens have secured funding to install an outdoor gym.

The school was keen for the students to have a facility that could be used by both its own students as well as those from its partner primary schools. The school specified a range of equipment that would be safe and beneficial to a wide range of ages and abilities.

It includes three pieces of cardio equipment; the air skier, the push-up and dip station and the rider – all great for raising the heart rate, getting the whole body working, burning fat and toning the body.

For strength building the gym also includes a seated leg press, ideal for building muscle and tone along the whole legs and a combination pull down and chest press, for building muscle and tone in the arms, back and chest. For flexibility and balance the gym includes tai chi spinners.

The gym will be used before and after school, during recreational times at break and lunchtimes and as part of structured PE classes and for team training sessions, so it needed to complement the curriculum and the school’s wider approach to sport. The school was also keen to use the facility with its partner primary schools as part of its transition programme.

Durable and easy to use, the seven different pieces of gym equipment sit in a specially prepared area just on the edge of the school’s playing fields. There is one single station and six multi-stations, meaning 16 students can work out at any one time.

Speaking at the launch, headteacher, Mrs Catherine Twist said: “We are delighted to have this outdoor gym at St Cuthbert’s. It is well researched that young people with better health and wellbeing are far more likely to achieve, not just academically but socially, emotionally and psychologically.

“St Cuthbert’s has a culture of positive wellbeing for all. By adding this gym to our existing facilities we can continue to promote physical and mental health opportunities, reinforcing our students’ achievements that in turn improves wellbeing, the ability to thrive and achieve their full potential.”