AN OUTDOOR gym is coming to Salisbury turning "a patch of disused and neglected land into something beautiful".

Gainsborough Close Community Garden, Bemerton Heath, has received help from a Wessex Watermark Award to create a ‘living gym’, inviting the public to a safe space outside to come and exercise.

The garden was launched in 2016 in remembrance of a boy who had committed suicide, and the gym will be an addition to the space in nearby woodland with exercise platforms, equipment and new pathways.

The project is supported by Foragers Farm and youth charity Rise:61, and the Wessex Watermark Award, that will help the gym become a reality, was presented to the garden by Wessex Water control and monitoring manager, Richard Batchelor, on Friday, May 10.

Gary Lamont from Foragers Farm said young people understand how exercise and the outdoors can improve a person's wellbeing, adding: “Gainsborough Close Community Garden has transformed the interaction between the young people, social services and the local community as many people support it.

"The garden was very much the idea of the young people to remember their friend by and has become a great meeting place."

Robin Imeson from Rise:61 added: "We are so grateful that Wessex Water is supporting this fantastic project that is transforming a patch of disused and neglected land into something beautiful that all the community can enjoy.

“Young people from Bemerton Heath have led the way in this project since the beginning, both practically and in fundraising, so it's great when others believe in their potential to be a positive force for good in our community. I'm sure this outdoor gym equipment will be a great reward for all their hard work."