Meet the Luton friends campaigning for an inclusive outdoor gym in the town

Ashraful Ahmed and Tanveer Ahmed decided to look into the possibility of having a callisthenics park in Luton after experiencing a lack of affordable fitness facilities as young people.

​Ashraful, a teacher, came up with the idea in 2022 and, over the past two years, has been working with Tanveer to lay the groundwork to make this project a reality.

Tanveer, who was inspired after working out at a similar gym in Dunstable, explained: “I realised this is a place where people are coming together, they’re working out, and it gives some sense of community and belonging.

“If you speak to a lot of the youth in general, they feel like there’s not much hope or opportunities for them. So this at least gives them something positive to do with their life.”

As young men born and raised in the town, they understand the need for affordable, inclusive outdoor spaces and hope that Luton Fitness Park could help others to get active and build connections.

​Ashraful said: “I go into my classrooms and I ask my students, how many of you feel hopeful about the future? And honestly, only like five kids out of 30 put their hands up.

“What if there’s a third space where young people can meet, connect through movement, and get to know one another in a healthy kind of safe way, where they’re being productive?”

Tanveer echoed this: “If you speak to a lot of the youth in general, they feel like there’s not much hope or opportunities for them. So this at least gives them something positive to do with their life.”

Moor Park, just off New Bedford Road, is being considered as the location for the facilities, given its proximity to the town centre.

The men also want the project to challenge the perception of Luton, by bringing people together.

Ashraful explained: “We need to improve it because if not us, then who? Nobody’s going to come and save us. We’ve got to save ourselves.”

The plans, although still in early stages, have been shared with Luton Borough Council’s parks and social cohesion teams.

They have created a community interest company and a petition for the facilities, calling for residents of the town to sign and lend their support.

So far, they say the response has been positive, with more than 1,000 signatures.

Click here to sign.

Tanveer said: “On the ground level, pretty much everyone we meet loves it. They really believe in the idea.”

They hope to secure funding through Pride in Place funds, National Lottery grants and other sources, with support from Active Luton.

They also want creatives in Luton to lend a hand - by incorporating artwork and sculptures.

Ashraful is also keen to honour those who cannot enjoy the gym.

He said: “I want this park to be a memorial to those who have lost their lives to mental health and knife crime, because I’ve lost friends to mental health and I’ve lost people that I know to knife crime.”

They ultimately hope the Luton project could become a blueprint for other towns, allowing them to share what worked, what failed and what they learned during the process.

Tanveer said: “Once we’ve done it, with all the failures, all the lessons, all the difficulties that we’ve managed to overcome, we will be able to create a blueprint to share with people.”

Ashraful added: “We are a movement, and we take pride. This isn’t just me and Tan. This is all of us.

“We are creating a better town, and it’s happening right in front of us.”