Aspire are delighted to launch a crowd fund for Oxfordshire’s first ever Gym Bus – set to help the most disadvantaged people in our community to get active and change their lives, for good. Can you help us get our bus on the road?

Why a Gym Bus?

Right now, there are thousands of people across Oxfordshire living in poverty, long-term unemployed, homeless, physically inactive, just out of prison or suffering from mental ill-health. Getting active is their first crucial step to making positive life changes, and our Gym Bus will take sports and physical activity sessions to the people who need them most.

Over the last three years, Aspire has supported over 800 disadvantaged people to get active and change their lives. We know first-hand the difference that taking part in sports will make to their life chances – and once they are ready, we can support them into employment, education or training. But there are so many more people in need, particularly in isolated rural areas, and we need your help to reach them.

What will our Gym Bus do?

Our Gym Bus will travel across Oxfordshire with a focus on isolated and deprived areas of the county where people have the most limited access to sports. We will offer activities such as boxercise, aerobics and football as well as smoothie sessions and nutritional advice. The sports sessions will be run by former Aspire clients who have come through our sports employment programme, and everyone who takes part in Gym Bus sessions will have access to wider employment or specialist support depending on their individual needs. People will also have the opportunity to take coaching qualifications so that they can run their own sports sessions and extend our social impact even further.

Oxford Bus Company have generously donated a bus for us to use, and their team will help us to kit it out ready for the road. On top of that, W Lucy Properties have kindly donated the gym equipment. The last stage is to raise the funds urgently needed to get the wheels in motion – and get our bus on the road!

What will your donations achieve?

Your donations will pay for the bus exterior re-design, a consultation room inside the bus where we can meet with people and give them wider support, smoothie makers, whiteboards, boxercise and football coaching sessions. And with your help, we’ll reach over 500 people who are in urgent need of help.

To find out more about our Gym Bus crowd fund please visit crowdfunder.co.uk

To organise a sports fundraiser for our Gym Bus, please call Mark or Helen on 01865 204450.

Thank you!

Find out more about Aspire by visiting aspireoxford.co.uk or on our Univ in the Community page.

Published: 5 September 2018

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