GUEST INTERVIEW Taking a back seat?

After 23 years as the MP for Ryedale in Yorkshire, REPs Chair John Greenway has retired from Westminster and is looking forward to spending more time shaping the future of REPs, as well as shaping his garden…

Journal: So how does it feel to be a man of leisure? JG: Ironically I’m busier than ever! I’m still doing a lot of work for the Council of Europe, I’ve got my commitments with REPs and then of course there’s the list of jobs my wife’s written for me including lots of gardening!

Journal: You’ve left British politics at a very interesting time – do you miss it? JG: What’s happening in Westminster is incredibly exciting at the moment, and totally unprecedented, but much as I’m enjoying watching it I think after 23 years I was ready to step down and concentrate on other things.

Journal: Like REPs? JG: Yes, during my eight years as Chair I’ve seen REPs go from a membership of about 3,000 to more than 28,000 we have

today. It has progressed to being the leading brand in the fitness industry, and I’m very excited by our plans to see it to go even further.

Recently we have achieved charitable trust status for REPs. This is important as, among other things, it means members don’t have to pay VAT on their membership fees, which we try very hard to keep as low as possible.

As well as the REPs Charitable Trust, we continue to develop the commercial arm of REPs and SkillsActive, called SkillsActive Services Ltd, which is responsible for running the REPs insurance services and any other non-charitable functions, such as endorsements, without impacting REPs and SkillsActive with the rest of their work.

As Chair of both REPs and SkillsActive Services Ltd, it’s partly my job to balance the professional status of the Register and SkillsActive’s own charitable status with a commercial approach where appropriate.

Journal: So what are the next steps for REPs? JG: Since Jean-Ann took over as Registrar we’ve spent a lot of time re-focusing on why we do what we do and I’d like to see that continue, particularly with the new REPs structure and the National Occupational Standards.

I’d also like to see greater recognition and awareness of the Register’s importance to the fitness industry as a means of building confidence in high standards with health service professionals. The fitness industry has the tools to make a fitter, healthier nation and I would love to see that exploited more.

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The REPs Journal 2010;18(September):4