Local Fitness Club

Phillip's Community Fitness Club is an approach to keep the local community active. Phillip has been running his club for a number of years, but was looking to expand his reach. The Giving Lab granted him funding to continue connecting more local people to his work. As a community champion who has been voluntarily running his club, the funding enabled him to continue running his sessions against a backdrop of increasing costs. Importantly, the sessions enabled Phillip to remunerate himself for his time - something he often previously did not do.

Why did you think your project was important to address health and wellbeing in your community?
The number of people who suffer from a Multiple Long Term Health Condition (MLTC) is rising. The pandemic has highlighted the growing importance of our health and the need for initiatives to improve community wellbeing. These sessions have been running for many years and I have both anecdotal evidence about the success of his project.

Philip’s Theory of Change for Local Fitness Club

What's something that's surprised you in this process?
The Giving Lab’s funding enabled me to further evidence what I knew, but I now had strong numbers to back it! For example, when I first received funding in 2022, I conducted a survey with all my participants. 50% strongly agreed they felt more motivated to exercise, the other 50% simply agreed. Also, 67% strongly agreed their confidence in exercising increased. I have also learnt the importance of community cohesion and spirit - during the Covid-19 lockdown, these sessions were a lifeline for many community members. When we were stuck indoors I would run online sessions for some community members.

"Being part of these sessions has allowed me to meet so many people I never would have. It's all down to Phillip." - community member who took part in Phillip’s session

"Phillips classes are open to all, he is able to tailor the exercises to your needs and can explain the importance of them so everyone can understand." - community member who took part in Phillip’s session

What change would you like to see so that more people can be empowered to make decisions on the issues that affect them?
Following this particular project, I do have some lessons for funders:
1. Community members know what they want and need; answers to local issues lie with them.
2. Medical scepticism within communities is high. Residents want and are looking for alternatives to medical prescriptions to keep healthy.
3. Educating the vulnerable on health risks associated with having a Multiple Long Term Health condition is key to tackling this issue.

During The Giving' Lab’s sharing event in February 2023, Phillip spoke very poignantly to the impact of his project. It’s important that we remember that the nuance of impact cannot always be captured in traditional ways - sometimes it needs to be felt in order to understand how transformational a person or their work has been. As an organisation that centred lived experience, we think it’s important to acknowledge this.