Scottish fitness company partners with local Glasgow school to tackle stigma around anxiety

During this Mental Health Awarness Week, Scottish business Factory Weights who are based on Camlachie Street in Glasgow’s East End teamed up with local school St Mungo’s Academy to help break down the stigma around mental health.

They were also joined by leading fitness experts from across the country to help encourage and engage pupils around the importance of exercise and how it can help manage anxiety,

According to a report in March 2023 the Mental Health Foundation found that nearly three quarters of the population felt anxious in the previous two weeks, a third of whom also stated they were not coping with their anxiety levels on a day to day basis. Within this survey 34% of people confirmed exercise helped them manage their day to day anxiety related problems.

Factory Weights are determined to make sure that fitness is accessible to everyone and have been a real driving force in their community as they continue to make a positive impact on the local area round with this partnership only strengthening their ambitions.

Today (May 19), leading fitness professionals from across the country, including Sorella Strength, The Wee PT, Base Fitness and Crossfit Gym hosted an informative day of practical and intimate Q&A sessions with 40 pupils. Within those sessions they shared their own mental health experiences, and discussed how exercise helped them achieve their goals.

Factory Weights founder Tom Russell said, “We’ve been working with the pupils from St Mungo’s secondary school which is local to our headquarters over the last kind of year or so. We’ve been doing some fitness training and introducing them to fitness but because it was mental health week, we thought we would put on a day for them to show how people like us in the fitness industry keep our mental and physical health good by exercising and training.

“Social media puts lots of pressures on everybody - particularly children and young adutls to feel that they have to look and act a certain way which I think would be very difficult growing up with that pressure so I think ti’s important that people give alternative views that you should be happy and comfortable with yourself in your body. and that there’s plenty of tools to combat mental health.

“Mental Health Awarness week is a great idea as it pushes businesses and people to spread action a wee bit and gives a bit of motivation to try and share positive messages that hopefully can impact children’s and peoeple’s lives in a good way.

“The East End is a brilliant part of town, the kids are so warm and friendly and they’re getting on great. The more help and encouragement they can have and energy which is put into the East End the more it will thrive.”