A NEW outdoor gym has been built to help improve the health of residents in Barton and integrate the area with the Barton Park development.

A £69,000 redevelopment of Fettiplace Recreation Ground has been completed and was officially opened on Wednesday.

The park now has a fitness trail made up of six outdoor gym equipment stations, which will be free to use.

Path accessibility for wheelchair users and pushchairs has been improved and new park benches installed as well as habitat improvements for wild flowers.

It was funded through contributions from Waste Recycling Environmental (WREN) and Oxford City Council.

It is the first step in creating a fitness trail linking Barton to the new Barton Park development.

Barton is one of the 10 NHS England Healthy New Towns focusing on how the environment can encourage people to take part in physical activity.

City councillor for Barton, Mike Rowley, said: "It's really good to see benefits start to come to the existing Barton estate from all the development that's going on.

"When you work hard and don't have much money it can be a struggle to lead a healthy life, and I hope the new fit trail - along with the Healthy New Towns work going on and improvements to the local GP surgery - will have a real impact for people in Barton."

To register an interest in free classes email barton@oxford.gov.uk