New This Girl Can Classes launched across Wiltshire leisure centres, 'where getting it wrong is totally alright!'

A new kind of group exercise class is launching at Wiltshire Council leisure centres from 25 April.

The hugely successful This Girl Can campaign, created by Sport England, has partnered with EMD UK to create This Girl Can Classes with the aim of supporting more women to get active. 

The sessions have been specifically designed to provide a welcoming introductory programme where 'getting it wrong is totally alright'.

During the classes women are introduced to a variety of different group exercise styles, each with different moves and skills to try. These include dance fitness, box fitness, yoga-inspired stretch, and variable intensity interval training.

Each forty-five-minute class starts with a gentle warm up, followed by two different blocks of exercise, with a break in between. The activities will be different each week, giving women a taster of several exercise class styles. The class ends with a cool down and guided mindfulness.

All classes are £3.10 per class and will run on an initial 12-week programme.

Research from the This Girl Can campaign revealed that fear of judgement, fear of not being fit enough or feeling body conscious can stop women from getting active. This Girl Can Classes have been designed to help women overcome these fears by building confidence and fitness levels, while encouraging friendship and having fun.  The instructors are specially trained to create a warm and supportive atmosphere.

27 instructors from across the county have passed their training and will be delivering these exciting classes.

Cllr Laura Mayes, Deputy Leader of Wiltshire Council said, These new classes will be a great addition to the class provision at the Wiltshire leisure centres. We are really excited to be partnering with This Girl Can and hope that this will encourage more women to have the confidence to get involved, get more active and most importantly - have fun.

These classes are perfect for those who are looking to start exercising but aren't sure where to begin or may be feeling nervous about starting something new. The classes will provide a great taster of the different exercise and classes we have on offer within the centres.

Shelley Meyern, Head of Operations and Projects at EMD UK, said, It has been brilliant to work with Wiltshire Council to launch these classes.

The centres and instructors have a great enthusiasm and desire to assist the women that the classes have been designed for. From the physical and mental benefits that being active can bring, to the social connections we can make, every woman deserves to feel the benefits of getting active.

At This Girl Can Classes, you can be reassured that there are no wrong moves, and everyone can take it at their own pace. We want women to come and do their worst.

Full details and timings for the new This Girl Can Classes and other Wiltshire Council classes can be found: https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/leisure-classes. 

Booking is available at each centre up to seven days in advance. To book in for a class or other leisure activity, people should go to: https://leisure.wiltshire.gov.uk/LhWeb/en/Public/home (opens new window) or contact their local leisure centre.

All contact details of the council's leisure centres are available at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/leisure-leisure-and-sport-centres.