INCLUSIVE FITNESS Fit for the job
The Aspire National Training Centre is an exemplar of inclusive fitness: not only are almost a third of its members disabled, but well over half of its gym instructors are too. Now a scheme to get more disabled people into fitness careers is gathering momentum. Rhianon Howells reports
Well over half of Aspire’s gym instructors have a disability G
iven its location in the grounds of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore,
north-west London, it may at first seem unsurprising that the Aspire National Training Centre (ANTC) caters so well for the needs of disabled people. Founded in 1982, it was originally
conceived as a rehab centre for patients at the hospital’s world-class spinal unit, but quickly evolved into something much more groundbreaking: a fully accessible leisure centre to meet the needs not only of those with spinal injuries, but people of all backgrounds and levels of ability. More than three decades later, both the centre and the charity, Aspire, which
was set up to run it remain committed to this inclusive ideal: 30 per cent of ANTC’s 3,000-strong membership is disabled (compared to a national average of 2–3 per cent) while the remaining 70 per cent is not. A further 2,000 registered users visit the centre on an ad hoc basis. According to centre manager Hannah
Bladon, ANTC’s success in attracting disabled customers can be attributed to a number of factors: its impressive array of accessible facilities and classes (see below); its partnership with the London Spinal Cord Injury Centre, whose patients use the facility for rehab and also receive in-patient memberships for the duration of their stay; and a proactive outreach programme, including exercise referrals.
THE ASPIRE NATIONAL TRAINING CENTRE
• IFI-approved gym with a full range of equipment that can be adapted for
The centre’s wide range of accessible facilities and services include:
• Swimming pool with full ramp access, removing the need for
wheelchair and non-wheelchair users.
wheelchair hoists; water temperature maintained at 30–32˚C – ideal for the very young, old or those with temperature-sensitive conditions.
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• 52 fi tness classes, of which at least 40 per cent are suitable for
• The Passport to Leisure membership option, which entitles
disabled users; popular inclusive options include yoga, pilates, Zumba, aquatherapy and Schwinn group cycling, which offers four hand-cycles – Kranks – alongside 12 regular bikes.
disabled users to one-on-one assisted exercise sessions.
Read Health Club Management online at
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The water temperature in the pool is maintained at 30–32˚C
June 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
Leading by example A large part of the centre’s appeal to disabled customers – and crucial in retaining them – is its employment policy. At present, just over 20 per cent of ANTC’s entire workforce and around 60 per cent of its 20-strong fitness team (including full-time employees, cover staff and volunteers) has a disability. What’s more, says Bladon, those
fi gures are achieved without positive discrimination: “We don’t actively recruit for disabled staff, but because of who we are and what we do, we probably get more applications from disabled people. They know the facility is accessible, they’ll be welcome and have as good a chance of getting the job as anyone else.”
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