It means that outdoor gym equipment, suitable for exercising individual muscle groups, should be in place and ready for use on the Recreation Ground in Haspalls Road by spring next year.

Swaffham Town Council's recreation ground committee has successfully obtained more than £18,000 for the project through £10,000 from planning development funding, an £8,161 Big Lottery grant and £600 raised by the Friends of the Rec.

A town council spokesman said: "The equipment will encourage regular exercise and the less enthusiastic to take part and get fit. Keeping physically active can prevent major illnesses and is the basis for a healthier lifestyle." To keep fit, adults are recommended to do at least half-an-hour of moderate activity on five or more days a week, and children and young people 60 minutes every day. As well as improving general health, regular exercise can reduce high blood pressure and stress.

Deputy town clerk Michelle Meyrick said: "I'm delighted with the news of the Big Lottery grant for the Fitness for All project. It's another step forward to making the Rec a place for the whole community, of all ages and abilities."

Recreation ground committee chairman Jerome Stockdale said: "This is a great project for the Rec. Anyone can try out this equipment and hopefully get hooked and want to join a gym."

Friends of the Rec spokeswoman Sheila Lister added: "The Friends are really pleased to be a small part of this project - it shows what can be done if we all work together."