Horwich Old Station Park will have exercise bikes installed

Horwich Old Station Park is undergoing a £1.8 million flood basin works to prevent flooding  and as part of the works huge improvements are being made to the park.

This includes a new play area for children, and soon the installation of exercise equipment.

An area of the park will turned into an outdoor gym, which has become a growing trend.

Cllr Ryan Bamforth for the Horwich and Blackrod First confirmed that a Bolton Council officer approached them to ask if they wanted the exercise machines installed at the park as funding became available for them.

In total, there will be five machines with two exercises on each machine.

The groundworks preparation is already underway, and the machines will be installed once this has been completed.

Cllr Bamforth said: “At the moment, people seem to be very positive about them.

“The council officer approached us and asked whether we’d be happy for them to go at Station Park after they received funding specifically for this.

“I think they will add and bring an activity and service that the park does not have yet, and I have already enquired about having them in other parks in Horwich as if you’re on the outskirts of Horwich it is a bit of a trek to get here.

“But I would like to see them at Station Park.”

Cllr Bamforth said residents had long been asking for exercise machines in the park, but a lack of toddler play areas was an even bigger concern.

He said: “We are working with the council because there isn’t enough toddler play activities in the park, so they do not have appropriate play stations and we are trying to rectify this.”

The councillor says they are pushing for the new play area to involve toddler play but is not confident this will happen as the play-area has already been built.

Cllr Bamforth said: “There is stuff here, but it is not designed for toddlers, so this means they have nowhere to play.

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“The play areas give parents fresh air as well and becomes a social point for mums and dads so if the children do not have this play area, then it has an effect.

“We do not think the money spent on this park is worth it.

The proposed plans for the new playground in Old Station Park in Horwich included a toddler and a junior area, with climbing frames, swings and a roundabout, but these are deemed by the public to be unsuitable for toddlers.