The UK’s largest commercial fitness operator Fitness First has signalled its determination to include disabled people by committing 24 of their facilities to become accredited through the Inclusive Fitness Initiative’s (IFI) National Sports Foundation (NSF) Programme.
Fitness First is the first major operator in the commercial sector to commit to the programme that works not only to create accessible facilities but also engages disabled people in physical activity.
John Gamble, Fitness First Managing Director commented,
“We are thrilled to be working with the IFI in modifying selected clubs to accommodate disabled people. Fitness First is committed to making the world a fitter place with no exclusions and we are pleased to be making these changes with immediate effect. It is a landmark step forward for the fitness industry and we are proud to be the first major health club group to offer this.
Our personal trainers will be offered training in Levels Two and Three of the IFI training programme to allow them to suitably train disabled members. We are also working with our equipment suppliers to have a selection of machines which are IFI accredited.”
The first 12 clubs going through IFI Accreditation have already been assessed and will be working towards launching in the early part of 2009. An additional 12 clubs are currently being identified and will soon be assessed by the IFI’s team of consultants.
Among the first clubs to be accredited will be Bath, Baker Street, Beckenham, Bedford, Brentwood, Bristol Harbourside, Cheltenham and Hillsborough in Sheffield.
Sue Catton, IFI National Director added,
“The scale and depth of Fitness First’s commitment to the IFI NSF Programme illustrates that the inclusion of disabled people is both the right thing and also represents a sensible business decision. Fitness First has taken a lead, acknowledged that the commercial sector must seek to proactively include disabled people, both financially and legislatively, and that action is required to ensure that inclusion is adequately addressed. This sends a very powerful message and we hope that all commercial operators will realise that this agenda must be addressed, can be cost effectively met and cannot be ignored.”
The IFI’s current NSF Programme provides the opportunity to work with the commercial sector for the first time in the IFI’s history meaning that in addition to providing an increased network of accredited facilities, the scheme will also soon be able to boast a wide range of facility types, increasing the choice available for disabled people. With 400 facilities across England to be accredited by the end of 2009 the climate has never been better for disabled people to get active.
