Headline: (7-10)

Newly renovated Elderly Fitness Corner but no new crowd

Standfirst: (10-15)

Elderly Fitness Corner in Woodlands vacant as residents find equipment complex to use

By line:

By Nah Min Ning

The newly renovated Elderly Fitness Corner at Block 842 in Woodlands is underutilised as

residents find the lack of guidance in using equipment a drawback. (25 Words)

Renovated in March 2017 as part of the Sembawang Town Councils 2016 Neighbourhood

Renewal Programme (NRP), the fitness corner set up at Block 842, Woodlands Street 82 saw

the replacement of nine old exercise equipment with entirely new ones.

Having been around for about 10 years, the fitness corner is spread out over two blocks and is

strategically located near Woodlands North Plaza, where many residents frequent for their

necessities. However, with or without the renovation, the corner has long been void of users -

day or night.

In fact, Ms Tan Lay Peng, 56, a resident of Block 843, said that the most common group of

people she sees at the corner are youngsters drinking socially at night or maids using their

phones.

Since the renovation, instructions for the equipment are available in English and also includes

simple diagrams; a video is also accessible through a Quick Response Code (QR Code).
However, residents interviewed felt that there was a lack of guidance as to how to use the

corner.

Ms Tan said that the fitness corner was nice to see but not really good to use, as it failed to

appeal to its supposed target audience. She attributed the failure mainly to the lack of guidance

in teaching the elderly on how to use the equipment.

Mdm Lim Siew Guat, 67, a resident of Block 846, said in Mandarin that volunteers from the

Residents Committee (RC) should teach the elderly how to use the equipment since some

elderly might be afraid that misusing the equipment might lead them to slip and fall.

This is contrary to what Mr Seetoh Yoke Meng, Sembawang Town Councils senior manager

thinks. He said that he does not think that the corner is underutilised due to the lack of guidance

provided as the fitness equipment is quite straightforward [to use]. He also said that the

equipment caters to people who want to do less physical, less stringent kinds of exercise[s].

Despite the name, Elderly Fitness Corner, Mr Seetoh said that the purpose of the corner is to

provide a multi-family activity, alongside the nearby playground.

But Mr Lim Kee Cheng, chairman of the RC in charge of the fitness corner, suggested that

more comprehensive signage could be put up. However, he said, Theres a lot of ways to do

exercises for the elderly [and] most of the elderly prefer to go brisk walking. He also continued

on saying that the type of exercise done through the equipment at the fitness corner is more

tedious and is meant for those looking for therapy.

Mr Seetoh said that the NRP is a programme fully funded by the government. Based on

feedbacks or requests, the RC will then suggest what facilities should be upgraded. According

to the Housing Development Board, the NRP obtains residents feedback on proposed

renovation ideas through avenues such as dialogue sessions and mini exhibitions. The

programme will then proceed if 75 per cent of flat owners indicate their support.

Mr Lim said that the RC renovated the corner to make it convenient for residents to exercise.

They replaced the old equipment, which were more easily damaged, with updated ones.

Although the voting for the NRP may have obtained enough support for the programmes

approval, Mr Alex Tan, 68, a resident of Block 844, still feels that the RC did not take into

account residents needs and wants. He said, Everybody [has] got their own way of exercising,

[but], whenever [the RC] wants to construct all these things, they never consult the residents.

Adding on, Ms Tan explained how the fitness corner is always empty by saying that it was

just like [a] white elephant.

611 Words