HEALTH & FITNESS


New wellness player enters the UK corporate arena


High Five Health Promotion, the cor- porate wellbeing specialist based in the Netherlands, has acquired ECW (European Corporate Wellbeing) in the UK. Te deal was completed on 19 June and


the 10 sites will continue to operate under the ECW banner for the immediate future. Neil Gillespie – already at ECW – remains onboard with the company, with the man- agement team further bolstered by the appointment of David Brame, former owner and MD of corporate wellness provider Bladerunner before it was sold to Nuffield in November 2010. High Five also manages around 45 sites in the Netherlands and one in Germany. Details: http://lei.sr?a=q4Y9r


ukactive criticises NICE guidelines


ukactive CEO David Stalker has raised concerns the nation is in danger of promoting a ‘surgery first’ mentality to managing obesity-related conditions in the wake of new draſt guidelines from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), aimed to reduce debilitating weight problems and issues. Diabetes UK estimates


850,000 people could be eli- gible for surgery, but NICE expects just tens of thousands under the draſt guidelines. A mounting body of evi-


dence suggests a gastric bypass improves symptoms in around 60 per cent of patients suffering from Type 2 diabetes, which is closely linked to life- style and obesity, but Stalker argued that with the NHS “already bursting at the seams,” spend on preventable conditions inhibits money being spent on non-preventable conditions. “Regular physical activity is a halo solution


ukactive feels the new health guidelines are a misguided solution


choice easy and enjoyable. Surgery may well improve symptoms for the group of people who qualify, but it feels a bit like amputating a leg and attaching a prosthetic to fix a recur- rent knee problem,” Stalker added. Te update strengthens the focus on those


for what we know are essentially lifestyle con- ditions,” said Stalker. “Te key is in inspiring people to engage – that means making the


Te Medway club will comprise 220 stations


truGym to launch flagship club in Medway, Kent


Family-run gym operator truGym is on the verge of opening its latest UK site – a flag- ship 20,000sq ſt (1,858sq m) facility in the chatham dockside area of Medway, Kent. Te building – which forms part of a large


commercial scheme on the marina – will be given the 2014 truGym fit out, which has also been introduced at its Maidstone club and will soon roll-out across the estate. Due to open at the end of August, the


Medway club will comprise 220 stations, including 25 treadmills, plus a large free weight and functional training rig, as well as a dedicated group cycling room with 25 bikes and a large studio for group exercise classes. Equipment providers have not yet been confirmed for the site, which will also feature saunas and steamrooms as an extended part of the changing facilities. “This is a flagship site and one we’ve


always been keen to open, as it was ini- tially planned to be our first club back in 2010. Finally, the site has become available and we are happy to announce the open- ing of our 14th site in late August,” said MD Parm Singh. Details: http://lei.sr?a=z8s4F


4 1Rebel reaches £1.15m crowdfunding target


Fitness startup 1Rebel has raised more than £1m of investor capital for its fledg- ling business in under two weeks, thanks to an innova- tive crowdfunding venture. The company launched


on crowdfunding site Crowd Cube on 1 July, offering the public the chance to invest in the venture – a chain of high intensity studios using the ‘pay as you train’ business model – with 27.65 per cent of total equity up for grabs in return for £1.15m. Having hit the target late last week, the total had reached £1.19m as of Wednesday 16 July, with still 40 days leſt of the compa- ny’s website listing. So far, 188 investors have bought equity in the company, with the larg- est bidder having pledged £575,000. Operations director Kevin Yates described


the response on Crowd Cube as “overwhelming” and said that despite 1Rebel reaching its target early, investors can still grab a slice of the action as further equity is available in return for capital.


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital


with Type 2 diabetes and states that people who have been diagnosed in the past decade and have a BMI over 35 should be assessed for surgery. Details: http://lei.sr?a=A2X6n


(L-r) Ops director Kevin Yates, co-founders James Balfour and Giles Dean The brainchild of James Balfour - son


of Fitness First co-founder Mike - and lei- sure start-up specialist Giles Dean, 1Rebel will comprise a range of boutique fitness studios solely focused on high intensity training. The first site has been secured in central London and is set to launch in October, with Yates revealing that visuals will be released within the next two weeks.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=h6N5f


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2014


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