Volunteer It Yourself revamp TPF gym in Mile Cross, Norwich

The TPF (tricking, parkour, freerunning) gym in Mile Cross is used by around 200 people aged between four and 20 years old.  

Its revamp has been provided by a group of 28 people involved with Volunteer It Yourself (VIY) as part of earning City & Guilds accreditation in painting and decorating.

With the help of NR3 artist Kevin Parker, murals were painted on the wall (Image: Toolstation/VIY/TPF Gymnastics)

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Chrissie Roe, the founder of TPF, which is based in Aylsham Way, said: “This gym is a vital space for young people to come to feel safe, be with their friends and do something energetic in a secure environment off the streets.  

“Since the work has been going on, we’ve received such amazing feedback in person and online, that many new people have been phoning to find out how they can join the club and previous members returning from before the pandemic.” 

The project have disengaged young people the chance to learn a new skill (Image: Toolstation/VIY/TPF Gymnastics)

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Among those volunteering was Millie, 16, in her fourth VIY project ahead of going to study art at City College Norwich in September.

She said: “I really like being outdoorsy, I like learning new things that I hadn't learned before, and in turn, I've used them outside of this as well.  

“Brickwork was actually a really good one because I didn't really expect there to be so many different components to laying brick!” 

The project is City and Guilds accredited (Image: Toolstation/VIY/TPF Gymnastics)

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The project was funded by Toolstation, working with VIY to rally disengaged young people to give back.  

Forrest Brown, regional manager at Toolstation, said: “This project had a real community feel and it's great to see the engagement with younger people.” 

The gym has received many new enquiries since the revamp (Image: Toolstation/VIY/TPF Gymnastics)

Mural work inside the facility was done by NR3 artist Kevin Parker, who said: “I’ve loved working with VIY again on another important community building in Norfolk, helping inspire our local young people to do something positive through the power of paint and parkour.” 

More than 200 young people use the facility (Image: Toolstation/VIY/TPF Gymnastics)