A NORTH Wales 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, 33, is the owner and founder of Fervid Fitness.

He said: “We are offering 50 free memberships for a three-month period, from October to December.

“The project will run for each individual for three months from the day they begin – which is at any point until mid-October. They are generally the quietest months in the gym, so if someone is anxious about the gym environment, typically the gym is less busy during this period. This also means that our team will have more available time to support and educate those who are looking to be a part of the project.”

The offer is open to people from the age of 18 years who are struggling with their mental health and are currently physically inactive.

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People will be directed online to the gym’s website at fervidfitness.co.uk and its social media channels to complete an expression of interest form if they feel they meet the above criteria.

Shaun has partnered with lecturer Dr Chelsea Batty of Wrexham University who is lead researcher on the project.

Dr Batty will be distributing questionnaires to those taking up the free gym membership as a means to evaluate if people are seeing a benefit from exercise to their depression and physical activity levels.

There will be an initial screening process to ensure that everyone who is involved in the project is within a set criteria.

Shaun expects participants to complete 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week along with two resistance based sessions. This is what is currently recommended by the UK Chief Medical Officer.

The Leader: Fervid Fitness owner Shaun Thomas.

Participants will receive check-in calls to see how they’re progressing and the gym will monitor their attendance.

“If we do notice their attendance reduces then we can have a conversation with them in order to further support,” said Shaun.

He added: “It’s not about setting stringent rules, it’s about guiding them in the right way to make sure it fits their lifestyle and it’s something they enjoy doing.

“If someone really dislikes cardio-vascular exercise we’re not going to force them to run on a treadmill, just to tick a box. It’s about engaging people with things they are going to enjoy, which might be weight-training, or classes. It will be bespoke to that person.”

As well as welcoming commercial success, Shaun wants his business to have a good moral compass.

“A gym should be a cornerstone of a community, helping to support people so it should be run by the members for the members and for the community,” he said.

“I always wanted to support people who are struggling with their mental health or even unemployment as a result of that, so while we are trying to run a successful gym we also want to support the community.”

Since they first opened, Shaun says that he 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.

“I think it would be hugely beneficial for people to be prescribed supported exercise rather than medication and for independent gyms to be a port of call for the NHS and local authorities.

“I’ve had friends with depression who have been strong enough to say they don’t want medication and have gone the down the exercise route instead, and I have witnessed the improvement in their mental well-being first-hand. Their mood just lifts after exercise."