Haywards Heath school receives £40,000 fitness installation from Switch Gym

Switch Gym kitted out Oathall Community College’s new facility with gym equipment as part of the business’s community drive.

Eddie Rodriguez, headteacher, said: “We are pleased to be working with Switch Gym on this exciting project. The new fitness facility will expand the breadth of PE provision at Oathall and allow our students access to a fully equipped gym during school hours. This partnership fully supports the school’s educational aims of increasing enjoyment in physical education and promoting healthy lifestyles for young people.”

The £40,000 installation from Switch Gym is a continuation of a package of support for the college, which recently included a £2,000 donation towards the new maths and science blocks.

As part of the project, the gym launched its Switch Academy initiative at the school on Saturday, with a special launch event featuring five-time World Boxing Council champion, Ruth Ashdown – the only woman to hold a diamond belt in Muay Thai Boxing.

People enrolling in Switch Academy will benefit from semi-private fitness sessions at the new facility, as well as having access to its gym at The Orchards.

Chris Patch, Switch Academy director, said: “We are delighted to announce our partnership with Oathall Community College.

“Providing professional gym equipment to the students is very much in line with our mission to get a positive health and fitness message out to the community.

“To be able to provide young people with the knowledge of how to look after their physical health from such an early age and take that into adulthood is very much part of our commitment to health and fitness education in the wider community. “We are extremely proud to open our facility at such a centre of educational excellence.

“Both Oathall Community College and Switch Group share the same values encompassed in Oathall’s vision of promoting respect, aspiration, achievement and enjoyment in a supportive environment.

“We are looking forward to a long, successful partnership with Oathall College and their students and to welcoming our first Switch Academy members. “Our aim is to create a truly innovative and fulfilling way to bring health and fitness to the lives of the Haywards Heath community and can’t wait to share the journeys of accomplishment ahead.”