South Tyneside first in country to get new fitness rig offering whole body workout

A two storey fitness rig – which is the first of its kind in the UK – has been installed at Jarrow Focus which enables multiple people to get a whole body workout at the same time.

Councillor Alan Kerr, Lead Member for Culture and Leisure, said: “We know that our customers look to us to provide fresh, vibrant ways of helping them to keep fit and this has driven our approach.

“By investing in accessible, affordable and innovative facilities we have been able to boost membership and retention levels, resulting in positive health, social and economic benefits for South Tyneside.”

Council chiefs say leisure centres and swimming pools across the borough have exceeded all expectations over the last year with more than 1.26million people having used the facilities.

As a result South Tyneside is one of only 20 local authorities in the country to see a statistically significant reduction in the inactivity levels of residents aged 16 and over.

It comes as the latest addition to the council’s leisure offer includes heavy investment in cutting-edge virtual fitness.

Large scale cinematic screens have been installed at both Haven Point and Jarrow Focus, allowing people to access a wider range of class disciplines at times which are more convenient to members.

As a result, studio use has increased by around 35 per cent with the number of instructor-led and virtual sessions rising from 143 to 214 a week.

South Tyneside Council continues to work in partnership with global fitness brand Les Mills who gave a masterclass at Hebburn Central last year for Council fitness instructors to enable them to deliver a market-leading product to customers. The Council’s commitment to virtual fitness was cited as an example of national best practice by Les Mills Regional Customer Experience Co-ordinator Richie Allan at a recent networking event held at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

A further Les Mills master class is set to be delivered from Jarrow Focus in October.