Take part in our research

What’s involved? 

Back in February 2025, volunteers shared their thoughts on how to make Southfields Park in Loughborough a place where you can comfortably be physically active. Various areas for improvement were raised which we have worked in partnership with Charnwood Borough Council to address, including: 

1. Installing a new suite of outdoor gym equipment. 
2. Improving lighting levels on the park. 
3. Establishing a multi-purpose track with distance markers. 
4. Enhancing the safety and visibility of the park. 

During July 2025, we will be looking to complete Phase 2 of this work by inviting volunteers to come and share their perceptions of how the changes made to the park may impact their engagement in physical activity.  

When’s it happening? 

Guided Tours will be completed on Southfields Park during the daytime (12:00-12:30), and nighttime (20:00-20:30) during July 2025, based on your availability. During the tours you will use a mobile phone-based application to take pictures of features of the park that answer the following question: 

“What makes it easy or hard to take part in physical activity in your community?” 

Why take part? 

Your voice matters! By participating, you'll help shape the future of Loughborough and make a meaningful impact on our community's quality of life. Community feedback has already led to the installation of new outdoor gym equipment and tailored cycle training programs, your ideas will further guide the creation of an environment that allows everyone to be physically active. 

You will receive a £10 Love2Shop Voucher as a thank you for taking part. 

What’s involved? 

Data collected as part of earlier phases of the Active Healthy Living project highlighted the need for free, accessible opportunities to engage in group-based activities supported by trained professionals. To address these barriers, new outdoor gym equipment has been installed on Southfields Park, including equipment accessible for wheelchair users and older adults.

To help the local community understand how to use the equipment, Loughborough University are running a training course starting in July 2025 where residents can attend training sessions led by Fusion Lifestyle in how to use the equipment effectively. 

When’s it happening? 

The training course will begin in July 2025 and run for 4 weeks. After the 4-week training course, there will be a further 12 weeks where the outdoor gym equipment will be supervised by colleagues from Fusion Lifestyle to help provide on-going support. 

Why take part? 

Outdoor gyms offer great opportunities to maintain or improve physical and mental wellbeing, not just by taking part in physical activity but by the social connections that can be made. The newly installed equipment is designed to help provide support with improving fitness, balance, flexibility, and strength, offering a wide range of potential benefits. 

To be eligible to take part, you must be 18 or over, live within the Loughborough area, and currently do not meet the Chief Medical Officer guidelines for physical activity (i.e. 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week). We are particularly interested in providing support to older adults, unpaid carers, and residents from the Bell Foundry Estate given the additional barriers faced to being physically active. 

You will receive a £10 Love2Shop Voucher as a thank you for taking part.