Sir Stephen Timms, MP for East Ham, has formally opened a new fully-equipped gym for service users and staff at The Newham Centre for Mental Health. He visited the unit on 23 November to see the gym for himself. He also paid a visit to the Hope Garden on the same site.

The gym will be used by inpatients as part of activities available during their admission. A sports therapist/personal trainer will also be available to guide and support in the use of the equipment, and talk to people on the wards about coming to a gym session.

Bailey Mitchell, Director of Mental Health Services in Newham said,

"The days can be very long when you are admitted to a mental health unit, especially at the weekends. The gym will be a welcome addition to our activities schedule and enable people to move, get some exercise, try out different equipment and have some time away from the ward. Exercise gives people a different focus and can be beneficial mentally. I am really pleased we have this additional option that can be enjoyed by staff and service users."

The gym was developed by sectioning off part of the dining room to make space for it. Fortunately, the dining room was a big space and remains a large area for staff and service users to have meals in. Lord Timms was keen to see the dining room for himself and was reassured that it still had lots of space for diners. The gym will be available for staff to use too before or after shifts.

The Hope Garden is a therapeutic outdoor space which patients can get involved in according to how they feel. Andrew Casey who co-ordinates the Hope Garden said,

“The Hope Garden is a really calming space used by service users and sometimes staff looking for a quiet space. At the beginning, service users often just observe but after a while, they want to get involved. We are open at weekends too so it is a place people know they can come to and get a hot drink and do something digging!”