Flintshire gym and Wrexham Uni team up to offer free memberships for mental health support

A Flintshire gym is offering free memberships to people struggling with their mental health in a bid to help reduce the demand on the NHS.

Flint-based Fervid Fitness has teamed up with researchers at Wrexham University on a project which aims to support research on the benefits of exercise for mental well-being.

Shaun Thomas is the 33-year-old founder of Fervid Fitness. He is committed to offering 50 free memberships for three months, from October to December.

These are typically the quieter months in the gym. The aim is to support and educate individuals looking to be a part of this project, ensuring a comfortable and supportive environment for those apprehensive about the gym setting.

The initiative, open to physically inactive adults battling depression, requires participants to complete an online expression of interest form on the Fervid Fitness website.

Participants will work closely with Dr. Chelsea Batty of Wrexham University. They will be assessed through questionnaires. This is to monitor the impact of exercise on their depression and activity levels.

All applicants will undergo a thorough screening process, ensuring they meet the set criteria for the project.

Under the project’s guidelines, participants are expected to complete a specific amount of moderate or vigorous exercise each week, in line with the recommendations of the UK Chief Medical Officer.

The project focuses on holistic well-being, with monthly check-ins and a flexible approach to exercise types, ensuring a bespoke and enjoyable fitness journey for each individual.

Shaun emphasised the importance of mental well-being and the gym’s role as a community cornerstone.

It supports not just physical fitness but also mental health and overall community welfare. Dr. Batty will handle the distribution of monthly questionnaires to gather anonymous and confidential data for the research, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the project’s impact.

Dr. Batty outlined the project’s purpose to evaluate the impact of free gym memberships on depression and physical activity levels. It seeks to answer critical questions about engagement, attendance, and the correlation between exercise and improved mental and physical health.

Shaun hopes the project’s success could encourage more collaboration with local authorities and the NHS. He emphasises the proven effectiveness of exercise over medication for easing symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety.

Since they first opened, Shaun and his team have watched the gym members become healthier, happier, and fitter. “I’d love for doctors’ surgeries to be referring people to us to help them with their exercise programmes,” said Shaun.

He believes it would be hugely beneficial for people to be prescribed supported exercise rather than medication, highlighting the significant impact of physical activity on mental well-being.

You can find the link to the expression of interest form here:  https://forms.gle/D5KsHyoqBUHnaz4y6