Forwarded ¦ Media Release
GRIMSBY social media phenomenon Bailey Greetham-Clark has joined forces with Centre4 to offer free fitness sessions to local residents who struggle to find the time and money to exercise.
Free childcare and crèche facilities are provided as part of a bold new pilot by Centre4 to help the local community access physical activity.
Run three times a week over a 12-week period, the classes by Bailey’s Be Great Fitness and personal trainer Emma Hamm, include cardio workouts and gym-based sessions suitable for all ages, genders and abilities.
It comes after the community hub was awarded £20,000 from North East Lincolnshire Council’s Health Inequalities fund – which aims to remove the obstacles to people leading healthier, happier lives.
Single mum Sarah Keslethorpe (23), of Sutcliffe Avenue, Grimsby, has two children aged 18 months and two-and-a-half. She says: “I’d love to attend keep fit classes, but my youngest son is only 18 months and I don’t have any childcare for him during the day.
“My older child does attend a nursery as he gets two-year funding but I still have the younger one at home and no support from his dad or my family. I also don’t think that I could afford to join a gym or pay for classes as money is very tight at the minute with the cost of living and everything going up.
“I provide for my children and they get what they need but that leaves me with not much else to do anything for myself. I think that if I had a few hours a week to myself to do some keep fit it would benefit my mental health and help me to remember that I am still Sarah and not just mum.”
Centre4 chief executive Tracey Good says: “This funding will give local people a boost by providing fitness sessions on weekday lunchtimes on different days, giving a wider choice to people who have lots of demands on their time.
“It’s open to everyone, but we want to make sure that single parents of younger children are catered for with a free crèche. This pilot will help us see if the demand is there and if successful, we’ll look at delivering subsidised classes longer-term.”
Bailey, who’s been running similar sessions across the county in places such as schools and care homes, says: “It’s rewarding to see people enjoy fitness and that’s why I do what I do – people in more deprived areas struggle to afford expensive gym memberships and there’s loads of single mums and dads out there who can’t find the time or money to do exercise. That’s why I’m so pleased to be doing this at Centre4 in the heart of Nunsthorpe.”
Adam Johnston, wellbeing service manager at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “We’re glad to see the difference this funding is making. Exercise is a great way to improve people’s physical and mental health, but it isn’t always easy to make time for it.
“By offering a crèche it’s a great way to help parents exercise when they may not normally be able to and by having free classes it opens the opportunity out to everyone.
“We’re really excited to see these classes start and can’t wait to see the benefit they will bring to the local community.”
- Any resident in North East Lincolnshire can book on to Fit4 Everyday Life fitness sessions at Centre4 by calling 01472 236 688
- Classes start on Monday 20 January and run every Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 12.30 and 1.30pm for 12 weeks
- To save your spot, call Centre4 on 01472 236 688 and ask to book your Fit4 Everyday Life session
