Inclusive Fitness Initiative

The Inclusive Fitness Initiative at Bedworth Leisure Centre

The Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) has been in operation since 2001, receiving £6million in funding from the Sport England Lottery Fund. The IFI operates around five key principles.

1. Accessible facilities
2. Inclusive fitness equipment
3. Staff with appropriate training and skills
4. Appropriate marketing strategies
5. The development of alternative sporting opportunities

The IFI was formed after research was commissioned by the Gary Jelen Sports Foundation in 1998 to investigate how the fitness industry was accommodating the needs of disabled people. Gary Jelen MBE himself was an elite power lifter, winning medals locally, nationally and internationally. Gary found that having learning disabilities meant that facilities weren’t willing to work with him and this prevented his progress especially in the early stages of his sporting career.  

Following the research in 1998 a pilot project was set up by the English Federation of Disabled Sports (EFDS), designed to work with 30 fitness facilities across the UK in order to test the IFI model. The pilot project was hugely successful and resulted in building the foundations for a more substantial project.

Upon the success of the pilot programme, Sport England supported the initiative with a further £5million from the lottery fund. This cash injection paved the way for the main roll-out scheme incorporating 150 facilities across England, amongst which Bedworth Leisure Centre was included. The ultimate aim of the initiative is to ensure that every disabled person has an accessible facility within a reasonable distance of their home.

The Key Principles

1. ACCESSIBLE FACILITIES – Every IFI site has undergone an access audit to ensure that the facilities most effectively meet the needs of disabled people. The audits focus especially on the fitness related services. Following the construction of Bedworth Leisure Centre’s Healthy Living Centre the fitness suite, dance studio, changing rooms and squash court are totally accessible to all customers. Improvement include the installation of a lift, the widening of doorways and the introduction of male, female and unisex disabled changing areas. The centre’s new Wicked Coffee café, crèche along with the existing swimming pools are also accessible, and the car park also accommodation several disabled parking bays complete with lowered curbs for convenient and easy access.

2.  INCLUSIVE FITNESS EQUIPMENT - Throughout the last five years the IFI has worked closely with equipment manufacturers to ensure that fitness equipment available on the market is as inclusive as current technology will allow. Bedworth Health & Fitness has numerous pieces of fitness equipment both cardiovascular and resistance that have been accredited by the IFI ensuring that all gym users can benefit from a comprehensive workout. The inclusive equipment at Bedworth Leisure Centre includes but is not limited to – upper body ergometer, upright and recumbent cycles, upper body multi-station with additional attachments, free weights and other loose equipment, treadmills and resistance machines.

3. STAFF TRAINING AND SKILLS – The IFI believes that the value of training in an inclusive facility should never be underestimated, because if staff culture and attitude are not inclusive then customers will not benefit from the facility. Bedworth Health & Fitness prides itself on offer a first rate service to all customers, to ensure this all fitness instructors are qualified with recognised fitness qualifications. Further to this members of the fitness team also undergo extensive external training conducted by YMCA FIT giving instructors the ‘Advanced Fitness Instructor Adapted Physical Activity Award’ which is accredited as a level 3 NVQ. This additional training gives instructors the knowledge and confidence to prescribe and deliver inductions and training programme to all gym users.

4. APPROPRIATE MARKETING STRATEGIES – The Department for Work and Pensions estimates that the spending power of disabled people is in the region of £80million per annum. Every IFI accredited site receives a package of marketing materials to ensure effective communication with disabled people. Spearheading this support is the Inclusive Activator programme, a programme of outreach designed to encourage more and more disabled people to participate in physical activity.

5. THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATIVE SPORTING OPPORTUNITIES – Within each of the nine regions a federation of EFDS will support the delivery of disabled sport. Each are involved in the coordinating of grass-roots sport and physical activity by working closely with relevant agencies to help build capacity at local level.

For more information on the Inclusive Fitness Initiative, the English Federation of Disabled Sports or Sport England please use the links below. If you would like more information about facilities and accessibility at Bedworth Leisure Centre please feel free to come and see for yourself, alternatively if you are unable to visit the centre you may contact us by telephone and we will be more than happy to answer any queries you may have.

Contact

Reception: (024) 7640 0502

Bedworth Health & Fitness (024) 7640 0506

LINKS

www.inclusivefitness.org.uk – The IFI
www.efds.net – The English Federation of Disabled Sports
www.sportengland.org – Sport England

Mandy Stevens NB Leisure Trust Community Disability Inclusion Officer

(024) 7640 0583 or 07881 840633

mandy.stevens@nbleisuretrust.org