Leith charity plans new gym to fight mental health problems
Sara Hawkins set up Projekt 42 after simple exercise helped her beat her illness.
A charity in Leith has added hundreds of members since it started offering exercise classes to help people with mental health problems.
Projekt 42 has been so popular, founder Sara Hawkins is now looking to set-up a purpose-built gym on disused land just off Easter Road.
She has submitted a planning application for the community wellness centre at Halmyre Street after winning support from Buccleuch Property.
The firm has brought together a task force of local building experts, engineers and architects, to provide free advice and assistance on the project.
Sara set up the charity to promote the benefits of physical activity after her own battle with mental health.
In 2012, she was diagnosed with PTSD and after months of being withdrawn, Sara was gifted a gym membership which led to a dramatic improvement in her mental wellbeing.
She said: "I was put on a lengthy NHS waiting list and couldn’t find any other kind of support that was suitable or affordable.
"I started going to the gym and it was a combination of physical exercise, counselling and life coaching, that helped get me back on my feet and facing the world again.
"A year later I ran my first marathon."
The charity has been running a pilot scheme in a former shop in the Newkirkgate, Leith