Make PE fascinating and fun I read with interest the HCM articles on obesity (HCM Oct 14, p70) and increasing physical activity among children (HCM Oct 14, p62), and wanted to tell you about an initiative – School Gym 3T – that’s impacting on both these important areas.
The concept is owned by Graham Evans of Dyffryn Taf secondary school, Dylan Blain of Leisure Lines, and myself. We wanted to find a way to make PE, exercise and training valuable for all, whereby not being sporty didn’t make you poor in PE.
We’ve developed a lot of equipment that won’t be seen in a commercial or high performance gym, because it’s geared around young people and learning generally: we have things like giant dominoes for making mazes, alpha boards with lettering, bean bags and numbered tracks. Although athleticism can help, many games require more cerebral approaches to succeed: thinking, mathematics, spelling, planning. We’ve also developed awards that can be achieved through consistent displays of certain behaviours: coaching, mentoring, motivating and so on are all recognised.
We emphasise the development of good movement, as this is important for everyone, and ensuring habits acquired are for life. We currently have a PhD programme examining the effectiveness of this project, but you just have to visit the schools where it’s in place: pupils are engaging in large numbers, sporting success is high, obesity levels are low, and disengaged pupils are finding a way into education.
Dr Mark Bellamy Project manager, School Gym 3T
In the School Gym 3T concept, games involve cerebral as well as physical activity
Let’s help GPs to make ‘every contact count’ The recent article on Dr John Morgan and his ‘exercise is medicine’ philosophy was refreshing, and his references to the 10-minute consultation a useful reinforcement of the recent movement to make ‘Every Contact Count’. As Dr Morgan asserts, it’s about focusing on key information with achievable goals for both GP and patient (see HCM NovDec 14, p42).
If the fitness sector is to play a role, we must have a strong national and local evidence base to convince healthcare professionals of the merits of exercise interventions. Creating quick and seamless access to simple referral processes, so healthcare professionals can feed people into the appropriate services, is also crucial for time-pressured GPs, as is visibility of this information at all stages, so patient progress can be monitored.
Dr Morgan also highlights a role for private organisations in the fitness sector. I concur, but they do face a challenge in gaining access to surgeries. Strategies are required to support them, and they must have a clear understanding of what information is out there, as well as a clear picture of what’s required, so they can convince healthcare professionals of the merits of their services.
Stuart Stokes Commercial director, Refer-all
photo: www.shutterstock.com/ JPC-PROD
Quick access to referral processes will help time-pressured GPs
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing
disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support
its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy. [more...]
CoverMe, the global leader in fitness workforce management, today launches CoverMe PT, an
on-demand personal training platform that connects the right personal trainer to the right
client in under 10 seconds. [more...]
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Precor
Precor promises precision-quality products with steadfast reliability that are inspired by exerciser [more...]
Alliance Leisure
Alliance Leisure Services was specifically
established to respond to the changing
development need [more...]
Make PE fascinating and fun I read with interest the HCM articles on obesity (HCM Oct 14, p70) and increasing physical activity among children (HCM Oct 14, p62), and wanted to tell you about an initiative – School Gym 3T – that’s impacting on both these important areas.
The concept is owned by Graham Evans of Dyffryn Taf secondary school, Dylan Blain of Leisure Lines, and myself. We wanted to find a way to make PE, exercise and training valuable for all, whereby not being sporty didn’t make you poor in PE.
We’ve developed a lot of equipment that won’t be seen in a commercial or high performance gym, because it’s geared around young people and learning generally: we have things like giant dominoes for making mazes, alpha boards with lettering, bean bags and numbered tracks. Although athleticism can help, many games require more cerebral approaches to succeed: thinking, mathematics, spelling, planning. We’ve also developed awards that can be achieved through consistent displays of certain behaviours: coaching, mentoring, motivating and so on are all recognised.
We emphasise the development of good movement, as this is important for everyone, and ensuring habits acquired are for life. We currently have a PhD programme examining the effectiveness of this project, but you just have to visit the schools where it’s in place: pupils are engaging in large numbers, sporting success is high, obesity levels are low, and disengaged pupils are finding a way into education.
Dr Mark Bellamy Project manager, School Gym 3T
In the School Gym 3T concept, games involve cerebral as well as physical activity
Let’s help GPs to make ‘every contact count’ The recent article on Dr John Morgan and his ‘exercise is medicine’ philosophy was refreshing, and his references to the 10-minute consultation a useful reinforcement of the recent movement to make ‘Every Contact Count’. As Dr Morgan asserts, it’s about focusing on key information with achievable goals for both GP and patient (see HCM NovDec 14, p42).
If the fitness sector is to play a role, we must have a strong national and local evidence base to convince healthcare professionals of the merits of exercise interventions. Creating quick and seamless access to simple referral processes, so healthcare professionals can feed people into the appropriate services, is also crucial for time-pressured GPs, as is visibility of this information at all stages, so patient progress can be monitored.
Dr Morgan also highlights a role for private organisations in the fitness sector. I concur, but they do face a challenge in gaining access to surgeries. Strategies are required to support them, and they must have a clear understanding of what information is out there, as well as a clear picture of what’s required, so they can convince healthcare professionals of the merits of their services.
Stuart Stokes Commercial director, Refer-all
photo: www.shutterstock.com/ JPC-PROD
Quick access to referral processes will help time-pressured GPs
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of Physical activity
guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report, updating the evidence that underpins the nation's
physical activity recommendations and placing greater emphasis on strength, balance, reducing
sedentary behaviour and, for the first time, supporting people taking weight loss medications.
Places Leisure has exchanged contracts to build and operate a flagship £60m water and leisure
destination on behalf of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
The Republic of Ireland will become the latest market in PureGym’s expanding international
portfolio, with the first launch planned for Dublin in 2027.
Anytime Fitness opened more than one club a day in 2025 and is on track to maintain this rate
of growth this year, as parent company Purpose Brands targets further international expansion.
The £33.9 million Leighton Leisure and Community Centre has opened in Leighton Buzzard, UK,
creating a next-generation public leisure, health and wellbeing hub for the local community.
Walnuts Leisure Centre in Orpington, in the London Borough of Bromley, has reopened following
a £17m transformation designed to secure the long-term future of the public leisure asset and
reposition it as a community wellbeing hub.
The Gym Group, has announced that it's sustained positive trading momentum has continued
through the first half of 2026 and the company remains confident about the outlook.
Luxury boutique Pilates and wellness studio, X-Club, officially launches a
4,000sq ft flagship at
Marylebone on 16 July Built around X-Club’s four pillars of wellness – mind,
movement,
nutrition and therapy – the facility features two group exercise studi
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing
disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support
its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy. [more...]
CoverMe, the global leader in fitness workforce management, today launches CoverMe PT, an
on-demand personal training platform that connects the right personal trainer to the right
client in under 10 seconds. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Precor Precor promises precision-quality products with steadfast reliability that are inspired by exerciser [more...]
