Friday 14th December 2007
In November 2007, the Inclusive Fitness Initiative welcomed another new addition to their team!
Kathryn Lane joined the IFI Inclusive Activator Programme as South West Regional Inclusive Activator. The Inclusive Activator Programme is a coordinated programme of outreach designed to engage disabled people over the age of 16 in physical activity, using the accredited network of Inclusive Fitness Facilities as a basis for participation.
Kathryn’s main role will be to work on a regional level to engage disabled people in physical activity, using the network of accredited IFI facilities as a basis. Additionally, influencing leisure centres to promote themselves in a more inclusive fashion and working with key influencers of disabled people to develop a consistent and comprehensive message relating to inclusive physical activity, is also key to Kathryn’s role in the South West.
Kathryn started working in the Leisure Industry in 2003 initially managing operationally and later moving into Fitness Management. It was here that she realised what an immensely positive impact physical activity can have on individuals. As well as setting up a successful GP Referral Scheme within her community, the centre she worked at also became IFI accredited.
Kathryn explained,
"This is when I realised how much work needed to be done in Sites generally in regards to staff awareness and specific fitness training. People should be able to expect to be treated as individuals and have as good a standard of service as anyone else. The importance of equipping staff with the skills and confidence to treat their customers as individuals cannot be stressed enough. Being able to practise this and as a result see how this impacted on the happiness of my members has become something that I am extremely passionate about".
Kathryn believes that the Regional Inclusive Activator role has given her the chance to increase the productivity of the IFI Programme in reaching a greater number of people that would benefit from accessing an environment that understands their needs. There are many people still unaware that not only are there Sites available for them to use that are accessible, but also the Site is somewhere that they would have an enjoyable time. Kathryn commented on her new role: ‘I am proud to be part of an organisation that is continuously improving the standards of the leisure Industry and look forward to the progress that we will make in the future’.
