HEALTH & FITNESS LGBT gym opens in Birmingham


Birmingham’s LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community has opened a new sports and fitness studio at the Health and Wellbeing Centre on Holloway Centre in Birmingham City Centre. Te Big Lottery Fund awarded the project almost £500,000 over a four year period. The project named The


Vault has been introduced to combat against barriers that prevent LGBT communities from accessing mainstream sports facilities such as discrimination, stereo- typing, lack of inclusion in policies, procedures and marketing and fears for safety. Birmingham’s LGBT said they are also


working with mainstream service providers to address health inequalities within the LGBT Community, such as high rates of smoking and drinking, self harm, depression and attempted suicide. A range of services are on offer from


Director Steph Keeble and health & wellbeing manager David Viney


the centre including; yoga, pilates, fitness groups, alcohol support and advice, weight management, smoking cessation, counsel- ling and sexual health services. Some of the classes at the studio will be


funded through Birmingham City Council’s Be Active scheme. Te Vault will also have a changing facility and dedicated Trans chang- ing space. Details: http://lei.sr?a=p7X9O


Life Fitness partners with referral expert


Equipment supplier Life Fitness has struck up a part- nership with online-based Refer-all as part of efforts to provide K:A Leisure in North Ayrshire with an improved GP referrals system. Refer-all will provide K:A


Leisure – which provides sport and leisure services in North Ayrshire - an integrated approach to the manage- ment of referral schemes by tracking participants’ exer- cise activity. Each activity will then be reported to GPs and the referral team at K:A Leisure in real time. K:A Leisure currently receives more than


1,000 referrals each year at its centres. Andy McLaughlan, public sector account manager, Life Fitness, said: “We’re committed


Advertisement promotion


£5.2m Toxteth Fire Fit Hub opens with multi- purpose CYBEX gym


Treadmills & Arc Trainers built-to-order with customised frame colours


CYBEX International UK has installed a range of fitness equipment at Toxteth Fire Fit Hub, a brand new community sports facility and home to the Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service. Set to open to the public this month, the dual-


purpose gym will be used by both the fire service and the local youth community as part of the facility’s commitment to supporting residents from the area. Te gym includes treadmills, Arc Trainers


and bikes from CYBEX’s 625 series alongside the Bravo all-in-one functional training system, free weights and selectorised strength equipment from the VR3 Total Access range. A range of functional training equipment was also installed. Commenting on the decision to award the


tender to CYBEX, Kieran Timmins, deputy chief executive of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority, said: “Not only could CYBEX offer a cost effective solution to our unique require- ments as a fire service, we especially liked its concept of allowing the wider community user group to ‘train like a firefighter’, along with our fire crews.” As part of its agreement with the site, CYBEX


Te scheme will look to increase the number of GP referrals in Ayrshire


to providing long-term support and service to our customers and the already thriving exercise referral programme will be taken to new heights with the new Life Fitness equipment that we’re installing.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=g9X4C


Anytime Fitness expands portfolio with Crawley club


Health club operator Anytime Fitness is set to open a new club in the heart of Crawley in June. Te 3,200sq ſt (297sq m) gym, located in Crawley Town centre, will be equipped with Precor gym equipment and be open 24-hours a day, seven days a week, with a security-access


© CYBERTREK 2013


key allowing members to enter the club even when it is not staffed. Te club will be operated by entrepreneur James Ussher on a franchise model. Anytime Fitness is currently ranked number six in Entrepreneur magazine’s 2013 Franchise 500 list.


Twitter: @leisureopps


ran its Firefighter Performance Programme for staff from the fire service, a bespoke training programme which was developed by the CYBEX Research Institute and is already used widely in the US. Comprising a 1200m² sports hall, split-level


gym, group fitness studio, four outdoor five-a- side pitches and community fire station, the Hub has been jointly funded by the Department of Education’s myplace initiative, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service and Liverpool City Council.


Strength equipment features bespoke upholstery Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital 7


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24