Out and About… Meridian Men’s Keep Fit Club
As Meridian Men’s Keep Fit Club enters its 45th year, we are looking for new members to join our friendly and welcoming group to exercise, train and play.
Each week the club runs a well-established two-hour evening session on Monday evenings 7.30-9.30pm in the gymnasium at King James Academy in Royston. Sessions include basketball, circuit training, football and volleyball. Originally starting out in 1978 as an evening class run by North Herts District Council, the club became independent in 2008.
Keeping fit and having fun
Dave Aggett, the club’s longest serving member, explains why it has been so popular for so long. “The club offers a fitness formula that is completely different to just going to a gym for exercise. With most of the members having played some kind of sport when they were a bit younger, we combine a mixture of circuit training and ball sports to allow people to work on their core fitness at completely their own pace, while also enjoying competitive games. Key to the success of the club through the years, however, has been the fantastic spirit amongst the members. Each week there is great banter between everyone, which makes it a really enjoyable environment. We also run a number of social events during the year, including our Christmas dinner where the annual ‘awards’ are made!”
Going independent
The evening sessions were originally run by successive PE teachers from the then Meridian School until September 2008, when the incoming teacher declined the invitation to take over. Although the Council found another instructor, he only stayed for a few weeks, so we took over running the sessions ourselves for the remainder of that term. The school then allowed us to hire the gym directly and NHDC agreed to let us become independent.
Try us for free!
The popularity of the club means that membership turnover has been quite gradual over the years – driven mainly by changes in personal circumstances rather than not wanting to come anymore. Even during the pandemic, when we were unable to train in the gym, we kept the group together by organising weekly walks around the local areas. However, we are now looking to add a few new members. Our workout routine is designed for people aged around 40 or over and all levels of ability are welcome.
Why not try us for free for the first month? If you decide it is for you, subsequent membership is just £20 per month!
To find out more about our sessions and our free trial, email us at MeridianMenKFC@gmail.com or call Orivaldo Barros on 07772 228781
