Top:
Stacks - new corporate wellness facility for the Wellcome Trust

Middle:
The £21 million leisure development for the MOD takes shape

Bottom:
ABI's new gym is up and running

ABI’s new gym is quick to open

The Association of British Insurers has wasted no time in opening its new corporate health and fitness facility which, in just one month, boasts a membership take-up of 40% of the onsite workforce.

With incredible efficiency Bladerunner, in partnership with ABI, has successfully designed, built and equipped this employee wellness centre in less than six month. Bladerunner operates the facility on behalf of ABI and among the services available to staff are studio classes and wellness advice. 

Allison Cook at ABI commented: “Bladerunner’s expertise in delivering promptly on every facet of our new corporate wellness facility has been excellent. It was important for us to have the gym and its services up and running in a short space of time to attract potential tenants and Bladerunner certainly met that requirement. Staff have been very keen to take up membership and having Bladerunner take control of the management of the facility has worked very well for us.”

ABI hopes to be able to extend the services and facilities available to other corporate tenants at the site by early spring.

Fit4You could be fit for your business

Bladerunner has created a unique lifestyle assessment software system specifically for the corporate environment. Fit4You is part of an induction screening process that enables a potential member to gain an overview of his or her health and fitness levels in comparison to the “national norms”.

Fit4You provides a benchmark for new members evaluating all aspects of their fitness level including strength, flexibility, lung capacity, etc. It also examines an individual’s lifestyle habits such as stress levels and alcohol consumption. The information gathered is utilised by the qualified instructor to help create an individual fitness programme specific to the needs and objectives of the individual. Also, Fit4You may provide an overview of the general health and well-being of its workforce in comparison to national averages, which is useful information for any employer.

The insights gained by Fit4You for clients is proving invaluable in ensuring that their workforces are fit, healthy and able to successfully manage stress levels. One prestigious Bladerunner client has commented: "Fit4You has given us quick and simple access to very useful data about our members to ensure they receive the best health and fitness programmes specific to their needs. This is a far more effective and accurate way of tailoring programmes than traditional methods of evaluation." For more information about Fit4You contact Bladerunner on 01462 705050 or email enquiries@bladerunner.co.uk

Feeling under pressure? Go on, give us a squeeze!

Did you know that work-related stress is one of the biggest causes of sick leave in the UK? We all have a certain amount of pressure in our working lives and what is stressful for one person may not be for another – it all depends on our individual personalities and how we cope with stress.

So to help ease some of the pressure, we’re giving away a free stress ball for any reader of our website – we don’t claim it’ll ease all of your stress, but for a few minutes of each day it might help a little!

To claim your free stress ball, email your contact details (name, job title, company name and address) to us at enquiries@bladerunner.co.uk with ‘squeeze me’ in the subject line.

Work-related stress has very serious consequences, causing emotional and physical symptoms that can also affect our lives outside work. There is no single way to combat stress, but there are some simple things we can all do to help feel in control and more relaxed:

• Get some exercise – 30 minutes in the gym or a brisk walk every lunchtime is ideal
• Use relaxation techniques – why not book a head massage or aromatherapy session?
• Get it off your chest – talk to a friend or family member about what is stressing you out; it’ll help you get things into perspective
• Try to cut down on cigarettes, caffeine and alcohol – these stimulants will just increase your stress levels

For more information about work-related stress go to www.hse.gov.uk

Wellcome Trust 'Stacks' the success

It’s been a challenge but at last Bladerunner is proud to announce the opening of Stacks, the Wellcome Trust’s new corporate wellness facility. It took great tenacity and hard work to create a space that surpassed client expectations.

When the Wellcome Trust moved into new premises more than four-and-a-half-years ago, the aim was ‘simply’ to move the corporate fitness facility to the same site. However, finding the perfect location proved to be an extremely tough challenge with issues of noise, structure and access plaguing the project. However, working with Bladerunner, the Trust exhausted all possibilities through a series of feasibility studies before settling on a former book store in a basement location (hence the name).

Charles Griffin, Head of Facilities Management at the Wellcome Trust, said: “With Bladerunner’s help, we have established a gym which is twice the size of its predecessor; we now have a dedicated area for classes and a treatment room. The marketing and launch of Stacks was exemplary – again with Bladerunner’s excellent support and coordination – and we have had an enthusiastic take-up from staff.”

In its first two weeks of opening, over 200 members signed up. Facilities at Stacks include a gym, studio and treatment room. In addition to experienced gym staff, Bladerunner has brought in medical advisers and specialists to offer specific treatments such as physiotherapy.

MOD appoints Bladerunner for new £21m leisure development

The MOD has appointed Bladerunner as its preferred management company for the new pioneering leisure development in North Yorkshire.

The new £21m sports and leisure development will boast a variety of facilities including a triple pool swimming complex, a military rehabilitation centre, a six-court sports hall and a fitness suite with aerobic studio.

David Brame, Managing Director at Bladerunner said: “This is a unique opportunity for Bladerunner. It’s extremely important that we balance maximisation of use in the community with the extensive training needs of the Garrison at Catterick. The whole team will have to work very hard to ensure that every aspect of the management and day-to-day running of the site is expertly coordinated and efficient.”

This will be the first Bladerunner-managed MOD sports and leisure site. The facility will not only be open to the local community but used in partnership with North Yorkshire County Council libraries’ service, Richmondshire District Council Sports Development and the MOD’s Regional Rehabilitation unit. The facility is due to open in July 2009.

Bladerunner is ahead in Quality Assurance

Bladerunner believes in the importance of quality standards and as a result has consistently achieved ISO9001 accreditation every year since October 2004.“

Standards make an enormous and positive contribution to most aspects of our lives. They ensure desirable characteristics of products and services such as quality, environmental friendliness, safety, reliability and efficiency all at an economical cost.

When products and services meet our expectations, we tend to take this for granted and are unaware of the role of standards. However, when standards are absent, we soon notice. We soon care when products and services turn out to be of poor quality.

That is why, at Bladerunner, quality assurance and the achievement of recognised, national standards is so important to us. We are able to demonstrate to our customers the reliability and accountability of our services. It ensures that service delivery is consistent across our portfolio and illustrates Bladerunners commitment to continuous improvement.