Before getting into fitness and starting a company that helps young people unlock their potential through sport, Juan Lopez explained that he “wasn’t on a straight path”. “I got into a lot of serious trouble,” Lopez, founder and director of not-for-profit health and fitness organisation Raza Sana , told the Big Issue. “It was in the army that I realised how sport and exercise is used as a vehicle for personal development.
“Sport has been a fundamental vehicle in transforming my life.” Now, developed by Raza Sana and funded by Gymbox and Haringey Council, a free street gym has opened in Tottenham’s Northumberland Park to give young people the same new start through sports that Juan had. The community street gym not only provides a space for all ages in the community to use the fitness equipment and free classes, but also provides programmes like free CV advice, mock job interviews and helping people access personal training qualifications.
The street gym in Tottenham opened on 12 July Image: Doug Peters/PA Media Assignments The gym opened on 12 July – just weeks before far-right riots engulfed England and saw scores of teenagers hauled in front of the courts for their part in the disorder. The aftermath of the riots saw some quarters call for greater investment into community cohesion and young people left behind following more than a decade of damaging cuts. Juan explained that one of the aims of the community street gym is to instil in young people a “c.