Green and healthy

Where there was once a stale, sweaty atmosphere, there is fresh air and a cooling breeze; where there was loud, pumping music, there is now the calming crow of the cockerel. The Green Gym should be good for the mind as well as the body.

By The Newsroom

Published 28th Jan 2010, 21:27 BST

Updated 28th Jan 2010, 21:27 BST

It may also begin to undermine the British people's love affair with the commercial indoor gym. While these modern temples to the human body can offer warmth, safety and health advice, there's not much that can beat a bit of outdoor exertion on a fine day, as any schoolboy will affirm.

But Green Gyms, which combine community gardening and conservation with a physical workout, and can be found in five places in Yorkshire, are about more than just burning off calories.

Their success, and the camaraderie they engender among those taking part, is testament to the importance people now attach to conserving the region's wonderful landscape.

It is this, after all today's volunteers have long since gone, that

will be their legacy: a greener Yorkshire.

Yorkshire