Ionic Lodge

London Freemasons’ Charity has awarded a £10,000 grant to London-based charity Steel Warriors to support a Summer 2026 project delivering free calisthenics classes for young people across the capital – including Canning Town (Carpenters Estate, E15), Finsbury Park (Finsbury Park, N4), Lambeth (Ruskin Park) and Tower Hamlets (Langdon Park, E14).

Steel Warriors is a pioneering charity that tackles knife crime through an innovative approach: melting down confiscated knives and transforming the steel into outdoor gyms in public spaces. Through these gyms, the organisation delivers free coaching, community classes, and youth programmes designed to create safe spaces where young people can build strength, confidence and positive connections.

The funding from the London Freemasons’ Charity will enable Steel Warriors to run weekly calisthenics classes for teenagers at each of its four outdoor gyms across London. The programme is running now and continues through to the summer holidays until the end of August.

Across the project,Steel Warriors expects to reach around 200 young Londoners aged 13-19, with an average of 20 participants attending each weekly session at every site. These sessions are designed not only to improve physical fitness but also to support mental wellbeing, resilience, and engagement with education and community.

Steel Warriors will monitor attendance and outcomes using its impact measurement tool, Upshot, and anticipates that:

• 90% of regular attendees will report improved mental and physical wellbeing

• 80% will report improved engagement with education and relationships with peers and adults

Jenny Oklikah, CEO of Steel Warriors, said:

“We’re incredibly grateful to the London Freemasons’ Charity for supporting this summer programme. Their funding will allow us to provide consistent, free access to safe training spaces for young people during a time when positive opportunities are crucial. These sessions are about far more than fitness, they create belonging, confidence and trusted relationships that help young people thrive.”

Will Clayton, London Freemasons, said:

“The work that Steel Warriors are carrying out within our communities is fantastic and anything that supports getting knives off the street and provides young adults with a better pathway for the future is something that we are very proud to be involved in.”