London's first ever open-air gym for pensioners opened on this Wednesday. The 85 year old Ronald Woolf had a go on a recumbent bicycle in the green surroundings of the capital's famous Hyde Park. It is one of the six machines installed in the gym for providing mild exercise for the people who are over 60 years of age.

Woolf stretched his legs out in the bright sunshine next to the park's bowling green and tennis courts. He added that this cycling exercise is very beneficial for him.

This pensioners' playground, though, has been well established in China and Europe, but it is the first of its kind in London and has been set up by incurring an expenditure of 40,000 pounds from the local council.

Madeline Elsdon, a member of the local residents' association had come up with this idea. She said, "It's so much nicer than a gym, being in the fresh air, in this beautiful garden. And you don't need any fancy shoes or clothes".

The response to the new gym is great. The gym has been equipped with a cross-trainer, a sit-up bench, the exercise bike, a flex wheel to work the arms, a foot wheel to flex the hips, in addition to a machine to stretch the legs.

This equipment is designed in a way so as to provide low-impact, gentle exercise rather than a serious workout. It is also a lace for people to meet friends and socialize.