DUDLEY’S main hospital has become the first in Britain to get its own Olympic Park-style outdoor gym.

Russells Hall Hospital unveiled new facilities last week which are intended to help patients, visitors and staff work out their way to a healthier lifestyle.

A total of 16 pieces of equipment , which are the same as items installed at London’s Olympic Village, have been fitted near to the Action Heart Centre at the hospital.

Paula Clark, chief executive at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The rehabilitation and referral programmes aim to establish long term physical activity habits with our service users so that they can sustain a healthy level of physical exercise.

“The idea behind having the gym at the hospital is that the service users get trained to use it so that they are confident to carry on using the ones in the community settings.”

The fitness kit, which includes two exercise bikes, a rowing machine, bench press and a cross trainer, is the eighth outdoor gym in the borough.

The council says gyms in public places have contributed to improvements in peoples’ activity levels and reductions in anti-social behaviour.

Councillor Stuart Turner, Dudley cabinet member for public health, said: “In Dudley we have a long track record of providing a nationally recognised cardiac rehabilitation service and exercise referral programme.

“This new outdoor equipment will be primarily used to support this work but the equipment will also be available to visitors and other patients.”

For more information visit www.lets-get.com or call 01384 816460.