More people are becoming more active in the Scottish Borders thanks to the new health and fitness centre, TriFitness, a £400,000 centre in Galashiels, which is managed and operated by Borders Sport & Leisure Trust.
The centre combines a state of the art fitness suite offering a wide range of the latest cardiovascular, resistant and free weight fitness equipment together with a purpose built dance studio complimented with a comprehensive group exercise class programme.
This excellent initiative will not only deliver top class sport and leisure services to our students and staff but also the community as a whole
Tony Taylor OBE, Borders Sport & Leisure Trust Chairman, officially opened the centre on 4 February. He told guests: 'We have had over 9000 visits at the centre for gym sessions since the centre opened to members on 1 October 2010 and over 4000 class attendances to the wide range of classes that are on offer.'
Such has been the popularity of the classes at the centre, the class programme has grown from offering 21 classes per week to over 40 including some the most popular on offer in studios around the world today: Zumba, Kettlercise, Body Combat, Body Pump, Spin Cycling, Boxercise and many more.
TriFitness is also home to the Borders College's Borders Academy of Sporting Excellence (BASE). 60 BASE students use the centre as part of their sport and exercise programme, offering the opportunity to combine academic and vocational study with competing at the highest level in their chosen sport.
The creation of TriFitness
TriFitness was created after the signing of a ground breaking partnership agreement between Borders Sport and Leisure Trust, Heriot-Watt University and Borders College and currently has over 700 members including over 150 Heriot-Watt University students who regularly enjoy using the centre for health and fitness purposes.
A commitment to health & wellbeing
Before unveiling a plaque marking the official opening, Tony added, 'We are fully committed to the health and wellbeing of everyone in the Borders whether through fun and fitness or professional sporting development, ensuring that more Borderers become more active more often and are delighted that this partnership with Heriot-Watt University and Borders College has had such a positive effect in such a short period.'
Phil McNaul, Director of Finance at Heriot-Watt University, said: 'This excellent initiative will not only deliver top class sport and leisure services to our students and staff but also the community as a whole, providing all users including our students with superb facilities, part of our ongoing drive to improve the overall student experience.
'We are pleased to be involved as a partner in this project and our involvement, not long after the completion of the co-location with Borders College is another demonstration of Heriot-Watt's commitment to this vibrant area and community.'