My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
Yes
I am 18 years of age or above, by the application deadline.
Yes
My organisation is a registered UK entity and has a London-based address.
Yes
My organisation is a non-profit (e.g. school, university, or local authority) — not a for-profit, which can only join as a partner.
Yes
If there is a for-profit organisation as a partner in my initiative, they work on a cost-recovery basis only.
Yes
My solution is implemented at scale, or if not, I have a clear business plan, a minimum viable solution (prototype, pilot, or proof of concept), evidence of access to a lease for the space you are leveraging, and evidence of work or impact in London within your coalition.
Yes
I am aware that, if I am submitting more than one application to a Challenge run by Ashoka and Go! London, only one of them is able to progress through the stages.
Yes
Are you an employee (and their children and grandchildren) of Ashoka or any of its respective affiliates and participating advertising and promotion agencies?
No
I have read and accepted the Challenge Terms & Conditions.
Yes
First Name
Zoe
Last Name
Byrne
Pronouns
She/Her
Email address
I would like to receive notifications and updates about Go London!, Ashoka, Ashoka Changemakers, and other Ashoka opportunities.
1
Are you an Ashoka Fellow?
No
Are you applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow?
No
If you are applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow, please specify the name and organisation of the fellow below.
Lead Organisation Name
Steel Warriors
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
2017
Initiative Title
Steel Warriors - turning knives into outdoor gyms, transforming lives through calisthenics
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
https://www.instagram.com/steelwarriors/?hl=en https://www.steelwarriors.co.uk/
Initiative Stage
Established (You’ve successfully passed early phases and have a plan for the future. Your venture has been in existence for 6 years and above)
Sectors/Themes: What topic does your project most directly relate to?
Children & Youth
Initiative Summary: Describe your initiative in one sentence
Steel Warriors melts down seized knives and turns the steel into outdoor gyms where we use the sport of calisthenics to transform the lives of marginalised young people and their communities.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve and who will benefit the most from your solution? How close are you to the problem and/or community impacted?
Steel Warriors was founded in 2017 by entrepreneur Ben Wintour to transform knives — symbols of fear and harm — into something positive. Working with the Metropolitan Police, we collect seized and surrendered knives, shred and melt them, and recast the steel into components for our outdoor calisthenics gyms. This physical transformation is powerful, but our real impact is the social change created through the sport of calisthenics and the consistent trusted relationships formed with our Coaches. Knife crime is closely linked to deprivation, inequality and poor health outcomes; young people in the most deprived areas face violence rates more than double those in the least deprived. Many of the young people we support, aged 13–30, live in high-crime neighbourhoods, are at risk of gang involvement and have experienced adverse childhood experiences or disengagement from education or employment. Lack of safe, free spaces to be active and connect with positive role models compounds these challenges. We know that installing a gym alone is not enough. Our place-based approach combines facilities with an eco-system of free regular calisthenics classes and programmes. We are deeply rooted in the communities we serve: our Coaches are qualified Personal Trainers and experienced youth workers with lived experience of the challenges participants face. Our Board includes a former beneficiary and current Coaches and we are establishing a Youth Voice Panel to ensure our work is shaped directly by young people.
Your approach: How are you/ will you addressing the problem outlined above? How does your solution unlock or reimagine access to spaces for sport and physical activity? What role do landowners, local authorities, or other decision-making stakeholders play in your approach? We'd love to know about the origin of your idea, and what was your "aha" moment" that led you to take action?
Steel Warriors gyms are powerful symbols of positive transformation, turning knives that once harmed communities into free outdoor fitness spaces that promote health, wellbeing and connection. Working with Local Authorities and other funders, we install gyms in parks and green spaces within high-deprivation, high-crime neighbourhoods, unlocking access to safe, inclusive places for physical activity. We currently have four outdoor gyms across London, each located where provision is lowest and need is greatest. However, it is the sport of calisthenics and our expert Coaches that deliver lasting change for young people. Calisthenics is accessible to all, regardless of experience or fitness levels. Our Coaches deliver high quality, inclusive sessions alongside personal development. They support participants to build resilience, confidence and pro-social behaviours, and work on goals that promote education, employment and training outcomes. We use the values of calisthenics to teach life lessons, including discipline, hard work, perseverance and appreciation of delayed gratification. Young people tell us cost is only one barrier. Many feel unsafe in public spaces, fear judgement, or believe sport 'isn't for them', especially when local provision focuses on mainstream team sports. We address these structural barriers by creating supportive environments and an eco-system around each gym. We partner with schools, Pupil Referral Units and Youth Services to deliver taster sessions and weekly programmes, building trusted relationships that transition young people into community sessions. We also run female-only classes to ensure girls and young women can access spaces comfortably and confidently.
Collaboration with young people and the community: In what ways does your initiative engage young people and community members closest to the problem? What role do they play in building the solution you deliver?
When identifying new gym locations, we assess deprivation, crime data and proximity to schools and youth settings, but the most important factor is meaningful engagement with local people and partners. We carry out community consultations to shape site selection, design and programme delivery, ensuring each space reflects local needs, feels safe and is accessible to the whole community. Once a site is agreed, we continue working with young people, residents and partners to understand barriers to participation and adapt delivery accordingly, refining our offer in response to ongoing feedback. Participants actively shape the culture of our spaces. Our Community Classes are open to all and attract all ages and backgrounds. This builds a sense of community, enabling informal mentoring, a welcoming environment for newcomers and the role-modelling of positive behaviours. We would love to embed volunteering opportunities into our offer to create a pathway for young people that supports future education and employment opportunities. We are establishing a Youth Voice Panel made up of current and former participants who will co-produce programme development, inform organisational strategy and act as ambassadors for Steel Warriors. This ensures decisions are grounded in lived experience and remain relevant to the young people and communities we serve. We are launching a Leadership Programme with Haringey Learning Partnership, an outstanding Pupil Referral Unit, where our Coaches deliver programmes within the setting and at our Finsbury Park gym. We are supporting the participants to demonstrate leadership through calisthenics, eg organising sessions for younger students, planning a launch 'Bar Jam' for our next gym and speaking to Counsellors at the opening event.
Potential for/Evidence of Impact: How do you imagine your initiative will make a difference in unlocking spaces for and access to physical activity and sport so far? If you have already implemented it, what difference have you made so far? What is the impact your initiative has had , and or what impact do you envision having in the future?
Up to 2023, Steel Warriors impact was reported through case studies and an annual survey of adult participants at our Community Classes. In 2024, we co-produced a WEMWBS based survey for our targeted youth interventions and in 2025, we introduced Upshot, a tailored impact database for sport for good organisations. Between March and December 2025, we delivered over 300 free one-hour calisthenics classes across our 4 outdoor gyms, with an average attendance of 17 people. This includes Community classes open to all, as well as classes for teens and female-only. We are still gathering survey data for 2025, however in 2024, young people attending our targeted programmes reported: 94% learned something new 73% felt physically stronger and better about themselves 63% felt more optimistic about the future 76% built stronger relationships with adults 100% of Community Class participants reported that working out at Steel Warriors made them feel more positive and improved their mental and physical wellbeing. Our plan for impact measurement going forward is to report quantitative and qualitative outcomes for all activities in the eco-system around the gym. We anticipate reaching at least 200 local people through regular classes and programmes at each of our gyms plus a wider light touch reach through events and awareness raising activity. We would love to explore how to measure the wider social value of our gyms and to measure long-term change in individuals and communities as a result of Steel Warriors. Long term, we aim to create a network of Steel Warriors gyms across London, in the most deprived areas, as safe, positive symbols of transformation and delivering sustainable improvements in physical and mental health for young people and their communities.
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
Steel Warriors’ approach is innovative and unique. We are the only organisation in the UK transforming seized knives into outdoor gyms, turning symbols of violence into tools for empowerment. This physical transformation carries a powerful narrative that resonates with young people and their communities, challenging perceptions and inspiring change. Our model also innovates by combining infrastructure, programme delivery and community cohesion. Many outdoor gyms exist but remain under-used. We ensure sustained engagement through free taster sessions, work in local schools and youth settings and well as free classes at our gyms. This shifts the model from passive equipment provision to active youth and community engagement. We know that building trusted adult relationships that can deliver long term change, takes consistency and time. Our Coaches are there, rain or shine, every day of the year, and this builds trust over time. We know that when we start a teen class for example, we might get a couple of attendees, but over time, word spreads, trust grows and numbers increase. We also innovate in how we collaborate. We work across sectors: police, Local Authorities, Housing Associations, schools and other charities, to unlock spaces that might otherwise remain inaccessible or underutilised. By creating an eco-system around our gyms, embedded within the local community, we address structural barriers such as cost, safety concerns and lack of culturally relevant activities. This integrated approach changes how public space is perceived and used, demonstrating how sport can be a catalyst for social change.
Viability and Scalability: How are you setting your initiative up for success, and what is your plan to ensure operational sustainability of your solution and its impact? What are your ideas for scaling your initiative to the next level?
From 2024, Steel Warriors has focused on strengthening our organisation and moving from start up to growth phase. We now have a theory of change around our place-based delivery model, as well as an experienced staff team and strong partnerships. We know the eco-system we want to embed within the communities around our gyms and can evidence the positive impact of our innovative approach. Our gyms operate through a blended model combining capital investment for installation and ongoing funding for delivery. This ensures both physical infrastructure and ongoing programme delivery are sustainable. Our long-term vision is a network of Steel Warriors gyms across London and potentially beyond. The model is highly replicable: once a site is identified, we follow a structured process of partnership building, community consultation, installation and activation. We are already exploring new locations with several London boroughs. However this scaling requires investment of time and resources to really accelerate, and ideally we would secure multi-year funding for this development work supported by relevant expertise. We also want to explore further innovations, for example Haringey Learning Partnership, the Pupil Referral Unit, would love a Steel Warriors gym in their grounds, which would be open to the local community outside school hours. Over the last 18 months, we have significantly grown income including multi-year funding from partners such as the Violence reduction Unit, Go!London, the Evening Standard and Comic Relief. However this is almost always restricted, project based funding. We currently have one part time staff member focusing on development work and this resource feels inadequate for the interest and potential for Steel Warriors to scale.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
Steel Warriors leads overall delivery, including project management, safeguarding, partnerships and programme delivery. Our Coaches deliver calisthenics sessions and manage local partners while senior staff oversee strategy, key stakeholder relationships and impact measurement to ensure quality, consistency and sustainability. Local Authorities provide sites, permissions and often funding, helping identify locations where provision is limited and impact can be greatest. Delivery is strengthened through collaboration with youth and community organisations for example Black Prince Trust in Lambeth, We Are Spotlight in Tower Hamlets and the Detached Youthwork Team in Newham, who support outreach, participant engagement and locally tailored provision. Education partners are also key, such as Haringey Learning Partnership, Skinners Academy, St Paul’s Way School, Langdon Park Community School, School 21 and Newham College help recruit participants, co-design programmes and host sessions within their settings. Corporate and technical partners provide vital pro bono expertise. These include Heyne Tillett Steel (engineering), Gymshark (retail support), Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (legal expertise) and EMR (knife transport and recycling). Young people themselves play an active role as ambassadors and role models, helping shape sessions and support others. Our forthcoming Youth Voice Panel will further formalise youth leadership in programme development and decision-making. This shared-responsibility model ensures strong local ownership, cross-sector collaboration and credible delivery capacity, creating initiatives that are community-led, sustainable and responsive to local need.
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/to grow.
The biggest challenge currently facing Steel Warriors is the capacity to grow. The small leadership team (3 people, 2.4 FTE) are focused on operational delivery, key partnerships, fundraising for existing delivery and organisational development. There is limited scope to maximise the opportunities to grow, of which there are many across London. Development of the ‘blueprint’ for installing a Steel Warriors gym (0–3 months): mainly aimed at Local Authorities and funders to promote the offer and begin to explore opportunities Explore Haringey Learning Partnership gym (0-3 months): open to the public outside of school hours, as an innovative new approach to Steel Warriors gyms Fundraising activity (0-6 months): engage key potential funders for scale including developers and trusts and foundations. Community consultation and co-design (3–6 months): confirm locations with Local Authorities and engage young people and communities to consult on plans Gym installation & activation (6–12 months): construct gym and launch programme delivery Impact evaluation & scaling (12–18 months): analyse data, refine model and secure funding for additional sites
Capacity-Building Participation and Support Funding: If you were to make it as a finalist, you will be required to participate in an 8-week capacity building programme. If funding/ cost is a barrier to your participation, we may be able to offer up to 10,000 GBP of grant money available to support you. Please break down below, if it is the case, what costs you would incur and you would need covered. (Please note that there are restrictions on how the grant money may be used; please refer to the T&Cs for further details.
Ideally, during that 8-week capacity building programme, Steel Warriors would use the support of a Business Development consultant to prepare the ‘blueprint’ and research funding opportunities. This is likely to cost £5,600 (2 days a week at £350 per day) Other costs would be travel costs for existing staff across London for meetings with Local Authorities, circa £500 and vouchers as thank yous for our Youth Panel or for other community consultation events, circa £400. Total spend is likely to be in the region of £6,500.
