Lanark footballer David Cox's fitness festival plan is taking off in a big way

Lanark footballer David Cox says a ‘festival’ plan to improve peoples’ general fitness looks like being bigger than he could ever have imagined.

Scotland Fitness Games will take place at Glasgow High School over the weekend of June 18 and 19, and former Albion Rovers striker Cox says the whole project has grown arms and legs.

The aim will be to expand the project across the country next year, and take it from there.

While fitness is the central aim, it’s all about helping people’s mental health, and getting people out to have fun – gate receipts will go to the charity Back Onside, of which Cox is a patron.

Cox, 32, said: “This is one of Scotland’s first things like this – we’ve got the National Fitness Games and all this kind of stuff, but they’re based down in England.

Cox, pictured playing in a charity game for Back Onside, says keeping fit can help people's mental health enormously (SNS Group)

“There are a lot of people in this area who would like to compete in cross-fit and stuff like that, but that’s where they have to travel to go and get it, while Scotland doesn’t have anything like that of its own.

“We have loads of plans for it, we’re trying to make it more of a festival feel so that it’s not all about the fitness, it can be a day out for families and stuff as well. We want to have vendors, bouncy castles and all this kind of stuff, so it’s shaping up to be really good.”

Scotland Fitness Games is the brainchild of Cox and his business partner John Bulloch, and he says it’s already taking off.

“We only started this two months ago, and it’s already growing arms and legs things are just falling into place,” he said.

“We’re trying to focus more on getting everybody involved, the fitness side of things, and how that ties in with mental health. It has taken off a wee bit more than we thought it would.”

Cox says profits from the venture will go to the charity Back Onside, of which he is a patron (Daily Record)

Factory Weights are providing equipment for the weekend, and Cox says huge firms like Red Bull are sponsoring part of it.

He added: “We’re all ready to go. Things seem to be falling into place and we are absolutely buzzing.”

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