Medicentre is perfect fit for new tenant

A health and fitness company for older adults has moved into Cardiff Medicentre.

Elderfit was formed in 2015 as a Community Interest Company to help improve strength and balance in people of all ages, but primarily those in later life.

Recent National Lottery funding has enabled the company’s founders, Gareth Bartlett and Tom Scaife, to expand their offering from exercise sessions in private care homes to delivering classes to the public.

Significant growth led the company to recruit a project manager, three additional exercise instructors and secure an office base at the biotech and medtech hub.

“Tom and I have been really keen to get to this point of working with a varied client base across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan,” said Gareth.

“As a Community Interest Company, our firm focus is on social purpose, rather than profit, and we’re so happy to be engaging with those people in our communities who really benefit from what we do. We currently see more than 800 people per week in our sessions.

“They’re between the ages of 43 and 96 and everyone has their own level of fitness and mobility. Our experience means we can create the right training programmes and individual exercises to strike the perfect balance for everyone.”

Cardiff Medicentre is a successful joint venture between Cardiff University and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, providing space and support for biotech and medtech startups.

Rhys Pearce-Palmer, Innovation Manager at Cardiff Medicentre said, “Elderfit is a hugely talented and ambitious team that is improving lives and easing pressure on the NHS. We’re delighted that the company has made Cardiff Medicentre its home and to be supporting Gareth and Tom in their plans for the future.”

Gareth and Tom have each worked in the health and fitness industry for more than 20 years, with strength and conditioning being their main focus. Older adults are advised by the UK Chief Medical Officer to work on improving their balance on two days each week to reduce the chance of frailty and falls.

“Muscle weakness, combined with a natural decline in balance as we age, is a major cause of injury in later life,” said Gareth. “We’re helping people combat this by giving them the tools and the guidance to improve their physical health and mental wellbeing.”

The company plans to bring more instructors on board to deliver an expanding programme of health and fitness sessions across Wales and in England. The next few months should see official accreditation of Elderfit’s brand new programme for training new instructors – something Gareth and Tom say is key to their drive to scale-up over the coming years.