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Aspire and the Inclusive Fitness Initiative

Brian Carlin, Chief Executive of Aspire, will be sharing Aspire’s expertise in accessible sports and fitness facilities later this month when he presents at a series of Inclusive Fitness Initiative conferences.

The Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) is a programme that supports the fitness industry to become more inclusive, catering for the needs of disabled and non-disabled people alike. Through a range of projects and products the Initiative supports facilities to create an inclusive service and therefore increase participation by disabled people. Fitness Centres that meet the criteria can sign up for accreditation to highlight that the service they provide is of the highest standard; Aspire’s facilities were one of the first to gain accreditation.

The Aspire National Training Centre is the first fully integrated Training Centre in Europe for disabled and non-disabled people. Currently, around a third of our members are disabled, which compares with a national average of just 2-3% in other sports centres. By sharing our way of working, we’re hoping that other Fitness Centres around the UK will take note of our fantastic success and look to replicate at least some of what we do here. The end result can only be of benefit to disabled people across the country.