Our Parks helping This Girl Can boost exercise in London

Our Parks was founded by fitness coach Born Barikor in an east London park in 2014 to offer accessible, free exercise to the local community.

The movement has delivered sessions in over 300 parks across London and surrounding counties, providing women and girls from different backgrounds with access to barrier-free movement.

“Ensuring that exercise is accessible without barriers is really important to us. Offering free-of-charge classes is the first barrier Our Parks is able to break for those looking to get active,” said Born.

“This summer, we are continuing to break down barriers by targeting specific groups who are struggling with the cost of living and encouraging them to join our classes.”

While Our Parks provides opportunities for local communities to improve their health and wellbeing in local open spaces, Born recognises the importance of ensuring outdoor environments feel safe for women to enjoy freely.

“Safety is paramount for those exercising outside. All of our classes take place in visible, well-lit areas of parks,” added Born.

“We also often base our classes next to soft-play centres, so women can relax knowing their childcare is covered whilst focusing on prioritising themselves.”

This Girl Can recently released data revealing 48 per cent of women don’t feel fit enough to get active during the summer months. Our Parks is committed to ensuring no woman feels left out from enjoying the benefits of movement.

“Many of our classes are designed specifically for beginners wanting to get back into exercise – and they vary from bootcamps to yoga,” said Born.

“We’ve tried to create a welcoming, friendly environment where women can come – no matter their ability – and try out the different classes to find what works for them.

“The descriptions of classes are carefully considered, and classes are stripped back to basics to ensure all women feel included.”

Our Parks strives to encourage those that wouldn’t usually consider exercise to get involved, making a conscious decision to avoid the word ‘sport’ in a bid to make the classes feel as accessible as possible.

Not only does Our Parks get women moving in their local area, it creates a real sense of community within its classes.

“All coaches are trained to ensure they are approachable, friendly and smiley to make those attending feel supported throughout their exercise,” added Born.

“We find by taking people out of the gym and exercising outside, people are likely to talk to the person next to them. It creates a real community feel and social atmosphere amongst those attending, which encourages them to come back.”

Our Parks is supporting This Girl Can to empower more women and girls to get active this summer as part of its Make Your Summer Move initiative.

This Girl Can is also calling on all sports and physical activity providers to ensure they provide safe, suitable environments and equipment for women of all shapes, sizes and abilities.