How did the gym develop into what it is today?
“When I joined in 2019, the Laburnum Centre already had a gym and classes, but they were getting to a level where they were so well-attended that there had to be some sort of improvement.
“Then we were left a legacy donation to be able to spend on the gym. We developed the fitness classes and got a dedicated studio, and we moved the gym to a bigger room and bought specialist equipment.
“That all happened in February 2020, and then in the March we closed because of the pandemic. The timing wasn’t great, but we weren’t to know that. Developing the gym was the best thing we could have done – it’s become really accessible for so many people.”
How does the specialist equipment work?
“Some of our equipment is what you’d see in a normal gym, and some of it is adaptable. One of the biggest examples is the seats. Normally, if you’re in a wheelchair and there’s a seat on a machine, you have to get off the wheelchair or you can’t use it. But we’ve got a really easy system. You can pull the seat out and then your wheelchair is the seat for that machine.
“Sometimes people come in with their carers. We do the gym induction with their carer to show them how to support the person they’re caring for and how to move the equipment, so they don’t always need our one-to-one assistance. We’re always available to help, but it means they can come in and exercise independently.”
