National recognition for town’s fitness course

LIVEWIRE and Warrington Wolves’ rugby themed fitness and wellbeing course has been nominated for a prestigious national award.
The Fit to Tackle programme is shortlisted in the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH) Health and Wellbeing awards in the Healthier Lifestyles category.
The 12-week programme has supported more than 250 men and 200 women to shed 376 stone between them since it was established just over two years ago.
The programme aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people who have a BMI of 25 or above, by challenging them to take part in physical activity and helping them to improve their diet and mental wellbeing.
Participants engage in three exercise sessions a week covering all kinds of physical activity, including Touch Rugby, to improve their strength and help them shed the pounds.
The activities are tough and put the participants through their paces, with a weekly challenge to run four laps of the pitch at Warrington Wolves’ stadium and scale the 4,000 stadium steps.
The course also offers motivational talks from Warrington Wolves’ head coach, mental health advice through State of Mind, and Change4Life nutritional sessions.
Fit to Tackle was originally established as a male-only course but its initial success meant that, due to popular-demand, a female only version was soon developed.
Emma Hutchinson, managing director of LiveWire, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be shortlisted for this prestigious award.
“We initially introduced the programme as there appeared to be a perception that weight loss services are for women only.
“Rugby League has a huge following in Warrington, so we knew it wouldn’t be difficult to get local men to sign up and commit to a 12 week programme.
“After the success of the male-only course, we received hundreds of requests from their female friends and family members to develop a programme for them and that’s when the ladies programme was introduced.
“Both programmes have enabled us build a stronger partnership with Warrington Wolves and improve the health and wellbeing of so many people in the community.
The winner of the award will be announced at the RSPH Awards ceremony, on Thursday October 19 in London.