A charity that combines getting fit with supporting older people and community projects will launch in Portsmouth this spring.
GoodGym Portsmouth starts in May in partnership with Portsmouth City Counciland is a free weekly running group that combines a run with a physical task to help a local community organisation, such as planting trees or clearing derelict land
Runners can also choose to be paired with an isolated older person that lives nearby and run to visit them each week, or to run to help with basic household and garden tasks.
Founded in 2009 in Tower Hamlets, GoodGym is proven to reduce isolation and loneliness and to improve wellbeing for all involved. It takes takes a unique approach to building community cohesion, promoting fitness and reducing social isolation.
Cllr Luke Stubbs, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Adult Social Care at Portsmouth City Council, said:
“I’m pleased to be supporting GoodGym to launch in Portsmouth. It’s been shown to be highly successful elsewhere 
and will help to boost physical activity in the city whilst supporting our older residents and other community projects. It’s great to see so much initial interest and provides a reminder of what a great city we are for coming together to help others.”
Ivo Gormley, founder of GoodGym, said, “GoodGym is a really easy way to integrate doing something for your community into your exercise. If you’re already running then it can only take 15 mins to change your route and drop in to visit an isolated older person. If you’ve never really considered running before, or lack the motivation, then the community that GoodGym provides and the different reasons to run can be a really easy route in.”
Portsmouth residents can find out more and register their interest online: www.goodgym.org/proposals/portsmouth
