Over the last few years, our Friends Of Fitness scheme has helped hundreds of nominees benefit from expert help and support for their physical and mental wellbeing through free gym membership, personal training and more.

One of those who has benefited is Omma Ahmed. Omma has struggled with Chrones disease for the last 7 years and has been receiving help with her gym membership and tailored personal training at Fitness4Less Southwark. Omma believes this help and support has been crucial in improving her self confidence and reducing her anxiety. She explains what impact her free Friends of Fitness membership has had on her life: -

'I was nominated for the Friends of Fitness scheme by my sisters, who attend different Fitness4Less gyms. Suffering from Crohn’s disease for the last 7 years has been a physical and mental struggle for me. This scheme has improved my confidence in so many ways. I feel better about my body, possibly for the first time ever, even though I’m still not where I want to be. Most importantly though, it has helped with my mental health and my anxiety surrounding meeting new people and trying new experiences.'

Omma also receives regular one-to-one personal training sessions through our Friends of Fitness scheme, which she admits have been crucial.

'My Personal Trainer Simon, who is also the club's Manager, has been instrumental in making this happen. His patience, along with his firm but gentle encouragement, has seen me improve physically, which makes me proud of myself. Not being able to work for the last few years, small achievements like this mean a great deal to me.

Although I still dread waking up early for the gym (I’ve never been a morning person), once I’m there I genuinely enjoy it and always seem to be referencing something gym-related in my conversations. Simon has been incredibly supportive from the outset and I always feel like I’m training with a friend.'

If you are dealing with obstacles in your life, where you believe health and fitness can play a key role, then why not nominate yourself or someone you know? Friends of Fitness aims to offer health and fitness assistance for those who really need it - whether it's due to their youth, age, infirmity or disability, financial hardship or because they face other significant barriers to exercise. We want to know how we can help!

Omma says 'I’d definitely recommend this scheme to anyone who is eligible. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!' so go on, click here to nominate someone today.