New Glasgow gym - with focus on helping parents and carers - to open on Saturday

The affordable new gym concept has been built from the ground up with parents’ holistic wellbeing in mind and aims to break down barriers they face in being able to keep their minds and bodies healthy.

How does it work?

The space boasts a professional nursery area to allow parents and carers to take care of themselves while their kids are being looked after by registered childcare specialists.

Services offered at Smart Gym include a broad range of fitness classes running from 6am to 9pm everyday, use of a wide variety of gym equipment and a free-weights area.

While members get their blood pumping, they can drop their kids off at the soft gym (for ages 3+ on weekdays) or at professional childcare with KLAS Care C.i.C. (for ages 0+ on weekends).

The gym will also be a place for parents to socialise, complete with a coffee bar for gym go-ers to refuel after a workout or enjoy a cuppa while the kids play.

Smart Gym will have services available to keep the mind healthy too – a range of talking therapies, such as CBT, EMDR and Schema Therapy, will be available via waiting list and healthcare referrals. It is the first budget gym in Glasgow to offer a counselling service to members.

‘Accessible, achievable and affordable’

Dean Hardie, founder of Smart Gym, said: “Our vision has always been to make wellness accessible, achievable and affordable for Scotland’s parents and carers.

“According to the Centre for Mental Health, as much as one-fifth of new mums develop a mental health illness within a year of having a baby, and, as reported by NCT, up to half of their partners end up fighting the same battle.

“Having childcare commitments is a huge barrier that stops many parents from being able to go to the gym or access mental health services and we know that physical and mental wellbeing go hand-in-hand. We want to break down that barrier and help families in Glasgow’s southside, and beyond, use fitness and wellbeing services that support their mental and physical health.”

Benefiting the community

Smart Gym is community driven at its core and any profits generated will go back into improving services, such as reducing waiting lists for counselling, improving facilities and providing outreach programmes.

The team have spent the last four years strengthening relationships with funders and developing partnerships within the public, private and third sector. With their support, they have delivered outreach programmes and taster events across Townhead, Possil, Easterhouse and Shawlands.

Social memberships will be provided to those in need who have been referred via health and social care professionals, giving them unlimited access to facilities.

The social enterprise also aims to open three more low-cost family gyms across Glasgow after the Silverburn launch.

How to join

Individual memberships are only £19 per month for one adult and one child, with family memberships being offered at a discounted rate of £32 per month for two adults and two children.

Families with additional children can pay an extra £9 per month per child. Single sessions are available to non-members at £5 plus £2.50 per child, per hour. Corporate memberships are available at £19 per month in blocks of 5-100 for businesses.

Members of the public can attend the Smart Gym launch on Saturday at 10am in The Wedge at Silverburn Roundabout, 1066 Barrhead Road, Pollok.

Smart Gym’s opening hours will be Monday - Friday, 6am - 8pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 10am - 3pm.

For more information, visit smartgym.co.uk.