Mass outdoor gym session on moor to raise money for youth café

A group of exercise fans braved the heat earlier this week to tackle a mass 1,000-repeats outdoor gym challenge.

The event on Monday, July 13 drew about 30 people of all ages to Whitchurch Down football pitch where they repeated as many burpees, squats, press-ups, jumps and mini-weight lifts as possible towards a combined 1,000-exercise target.

The gym bunnies were being sponsored in aid of Tavistock Youth Cafe (TYC), as it celebrated the end of its first-ever fundraising week. The challenged raised a fantastic £500 to support local young people.

The event was organised by Tavistock parent Lorna Norris, who wanted to give something back after seeing the positive impact TYC has had on her son.

Lorna said: “I wanted to organise this fundraiser as a way of giving back to Tavistock Youth Café for everything they have done for my son.

“As a home-schooled autistic young person, the café has given him a safe, welcoming place to make friends, build confidence and try things he may never have experienced otherwise.

“The café has gone from being somewhere he was nervous about, to becoming the highlight of his week, and seeing that change has meant the world to me.

“I’m so grateful to everyone who came along, donated and supported the event. It was wonderful to see so many people from my fitness classes and my colleagues at Sisters Hair Salon come together to help make the evening such a success.

“I’m incredibly proud that we were able to raise money for such an amazing local charity and give something back.”

The challenge was the final event in TYC’s first-ever fundraising week, which also included a quiz night, barbecue, open mic evening and sponsored walk.

TYC was also supported by the wider community, with Tavistock College holding a non-uniform mufti day to raise funds and The Marshmallow Shop in Tavistock donating proceeds from its Wednesday sales.

As an inclusive charity, Tavistock Youth Café works hard to ensure most of its activities are either free or available at a very low cost, making them accessible to all young people. However, with increasing competition for grant funding, community fundraising has become more important than ever.

Vicki Lloyd-Walsh, TYC manager, said: “Everyone at Tavistock Youth Café would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who attended an event, donated, sponsored participants or volunteered during the fundraising week.

“The support shown by the local community has been overwhelming and every pound raised will help ensure young people continue to have a safe, welcoming place where they can belong, thrive and reach their full potential.”

Each year, TYC needs £100,000 to deliver its wide range of services for young people aged 11–19. The service and activities include youth clubs, one-to-one mentoring, wellbeing groups, music projects, volunteering opportunities, trips, sailing residential trips and community involvement. They all help young people build confidence, improve their wellbeing and develop lifelong friendships.

To support TYC go to this JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/charity/tavistockyouthcafe