By Silverfit Founder and CEO Eddie Brocklesby
My first message to all Silverfitters after such a tough and challenging time. I’m so looking forward to more restarts and the opportunity to meet up again. But with grateful thanks to our staff and particularly Alicia and our Nordic Walking and Walking Football Instructors, we have already been able to get our Nordic walking and walking football sessions going– there are some fabulous photos too – keep them coming in!
We’ve had to cope too with new signing up systems so let us know if you are having difficulties – let Susanne know on [email protected]. And if you have friends who are having problems but can’t sign it, that would be good for us to know too.
Some Silverfit updates:
First, a massive welcome to Pete Elliott, our new Operations manager. I know he is getting out to meet members in the venues for Nordic waling and Walking Football and he is really looking forward to the indoor restarts.
Sadly for us, Stefania has left us for a great new post within CNN, but I have just seen her article on Silverfit in the May edition of Choice magazine! Great publicity for us, and congratulations to Stefania.
Indoor Restarts and Payments
We have a huge number of great online workouts available on YouTube for those who would like a few additional workouts or are not able to go out yet.
We also recently started live online (zoom) Aerobic Dance session with Rosaria on Wednesday mornings – give it a try; it’s a fun low/medium impact workout. Sign up is via Eventbrite.
Pete has written: “As long as the various governing bodies and our venues allow us to, we will be restarting our indoor sessions at varying times after 21 June. We are already carrying out new risk assessments of each activity, and at each venue to assure everyone that we can restart safely. There may be some changes to times compared to what we had before we paused indoor activities, depending on the venue and instructors, but we hope to keep things broadly the same.
We will keep you informed on start dates through Susanne’s weekly emails, and via our session pages.
We may have to develop sign up systems for some sessions where numbers in a venue are limited, and we are exploring new systems to pay for sessions to avoid handling cash but sessions will initially be free for July. “
AVIVA crowdfunding
It would be absolutely great it you could subscribe, however little to our Aviva crowdfunding which will help to finance our re-starts. It’s an initiative to support charities run by Aviva. In addition to the public being able to contribute Aviva’s employees distribute £250,000 of Aviva Community Fund to projects that matter to them.
We have only have 7 days left before the deadline and we’ve only 11% raised of our core target of £4566, so do please donate here; every little counts.
Silverfit Team for the August 22nd Vitality Big Half Marathon
With thanks to our Big Half team, signups progressing for the Big Half, but we need more. There is a 4-hour cut off time so fast walkers should make it but do please encourage anyone you know to sign up. You can sign up here.
We are looking for runners, joggers, and walkers to join us, helping our charity break down the idea that age is a barrier to physical activity!
Whether you want to walk, Nordic Walk, jog, run for our cause, Silverfit will be with you every step of the way with instructor-led training plans, nutritional tips and a fundraising pack! A chance for us all to work towards something positive, a new challenge and a community event – be a part of Team Silverfit 2021!
And a brief note of profound thanks to our recent funders over recent months, to United St Saviour’s, Southwark Charities, Sport England’s Return to Play fund, Independent Age, Haringey Council, Richmond Civic Pride and the Football Foundation. Without them we would not be looking forward optimistically to a new post Covid era for Silverfit.
See you all soon!
Best wishes,
Eddie Brocklesby
