Mark Crutchley
A £2.4m investment in South Gloucestershire’s Active Lifestyle Centres is underway as part of a major improvement programme designed to support health and wellbeing across the region.
The development heralds a new five-year growth strategy for Circadian Trust, the innovative social enterprise that runs the Active Lifestyle centres in Yate, Longwell Green, Kingswood, Bradley Stoke and Thornbury.
In late March Yate Active Lifestyle Centre completed a whole refurbishment of the gym, the second part of a £500K total investment which started last year.
And shortly after, a £750K gym upgrade took place at Longwell Green, replacing equipment with new state-of-the-art machines selected on the basis of what’s most popular with local people.
This is the first significant investment in gym equipment since Covid-19 with hundreds of new pieces being installed by world-leading supplier Technogym alongside redecoration and maintenance updates.
In May, £1m worth of improvements are set to take place at Bradley Stoke gym. And a £140K investment follows at Thornbury, where a new Wellbeing Studio is being installed complete with innovative power-assisted equipment.
Opening in June, the Wellbeing Studio is designed especially for people who are starting regular exercise for the first time, have health problems or are recovering from injury.
Further investments are being considered at the Kingswood centre for 2025, following major behind-the-scenes infrastructure improvements last year.
Circadian Trust CEO Mark Crutchley said: “This is a fantastic programme to have underway as we continue our commitment to ensure people can access the very best health and wellbeing services at the most affordable cost.
“As a charity and social enterprise that wants to inspire active lifestyles for all of South Gloucestershire’s residents, this is the first phase of a longer-term programme to expand and enhance access to fitness, rehabilitation, fun, and social connection.
“We do this through working in partnership with a range of local health organisations, including GP surgeries, the wider NHS and Sirona Health.”
The improved facilities at each centre are based on the needs, demographics and preferences of local people, as well as the condition of existing equipment.
A 25-year plus partnership with Technogym means the centres are often the first gyms in the area to offer new equipment and technology as soon as it enters the market.
Technogym is a world leading brand in fitness, wellness, sport and health providing a complete Ecosystem made of connected smart fitness equipment, digital services and training contents. Technogym has been appointed Official Supplier to the Olympics for nine editions including Paris 2024.
Crutchley said: “Feedback on the gyms has already been hugely positive and we have been lucky to have designed the process with Technogym. Working with partners who are best-in-class is central to our promise of creating excellence in everything we do.
“We are now looking forward to seeing more people accessing the services over the coming months and continuing our promise to help our local communities become healthier and happier in the process.”
Greg Haynes, Technogym UK Sales Director Club, said: “Over the last 25 years, we have worked closely with Circadian Trust to provide the very best training experiences to communities with the latest Technogym innovation and equipment at each of their local Active Centres.
“We’re proud to partner with Circadian Trust and support the refurbishments with innovative solutions to help people live happier and healthier lives.”
