The event is at Leighton Buzzard's Energie Fitness on Saturday 3rd August
With just three weeks to go until the big day, we caught up with énergie Fitness Leighton Buzzard General Manager, Darren Rossiter, to find out more about how the planning of such a huge event has unfolded – and what the event itself will involve.
What initially fuelled the idea for the Leighton Buzzard Festival of Fitness?
The énergie Fitness brand is all about inclusivity, community and a place where people feel they belong, so a community-focused ‘festival’ promoting what we do at énergie Fitness is something I’ve wanted to do for a while. The event has been months in the planning and really came to life following the success of an outdoor ‘Manic Monday’ workout with over 50 members. This proved that the demand was there for something bigger.
What have you and the team been doing to organise the event?
Outreach has been key, so behind the scenes we have been connecting with countless local businesses and charities to not only get them involved in the challenges, but also to promote the work they do. A great tactic has been ‘battle of the businesses’, which has seen estate agents, health centres and pubs wanting to beat their high street rivals! We’ve also connected with the local blue light services to secure their presence on the day. Every business who attends the Festival of Fitness will have the opportunity to network and educate locals about their services.
What have you got going on at the Festival of Fitness?
The day will be completely jam-packed with entertainment, food sampling, kids’ activities, challenges, mini events and giveaways courtesy of local businesses, and of course, our signature YARD Games event. The event itself is sponsored by énergie Fitness, Jordan Fitness and Myzone, who are lending us 99 Myzone belts for thé YARD Games event. Everyone’s effort zone during the thé YARD Games will be displayed on a huge TV in the park!
Tell us more about thé YARD Games!
Our YARD at énergie Fitness Leighton Buzzard is a hugely popular feature of the gym. We now run up to 40 YARD classes each week and often have a waiting list of more than 20 people! Because of this, we wanted to take what we do in the club everyday – outside – so more people can be part of it. On the day we will have 33 teams of 3, who will take on five different challenge rounds. The winning team will be given £500 to donate to a charity of their choice.
Where and when is the event being held?
You can come down to the event at Parson's Close Recreation Ground on Saturday 3rd August between 10am and 4pm. The Mayor will kick off the day by cutting our green ribbon, and we’re expecting to have between 2,000 and 3,000 people there throughout the day.
If another énergie Fitness gym wants to enter a team, how do they do that?
We still have a limited number of spaces left, so if another énergie Fitness gym wants to come down as a team of three for the event, please email leightonbuzzard@energiefitness.com or phone the gym on 01525 853000. This is a great opportunity for team building, and my goal is to see other énergie Fitness gyms in the network doing the same in years to come. This is what our brand is all about, after all!
