One year on from its opening, Cambridgeshire Police’s purpose-built gym has been an invaluable investment in officer health, wellbeing, and operational readiness.
Detective Inspector Justin Howard, the Force’s lead gym single point of contact (SPOC), said the facility at Thorpe Wood station in Peterborough has attracted strong and consistent use from officers and staff in the 12 months since it opened.
Justin, a Cambridgeshire Police Federation member, said: “There’s been a lot of interest and the footfall has been strong.
“We’ll get people in from half five or six in the morning before their shift, and then again between four and six in the afternoon, and lunchtime is also busy.
“We’ve had really positive feedback from users, and it’s been great to see people getting back into the gym and making the most of the space.”
The gym replaced the station’s previous facility, which was situated in an old office.
The Force now has seven gyms following the recent closure of the facility at Sawston due to a lack of footfall.
Justin described looking after the gyms as ‘a labour of love’ involving behind-the-scenes work to manage health and safety, oversee inductions, and maintain equipment.
Indeed, managing and maintaining equipment is an ongoing challenge, with some machines having been in service for decades.
Justin said: “In the past year three of our treadmills came to a grinding halt.
“They’ve lasted 20 years. We service them all the time and stay on top of things, but you can’t get parts for machines that old. We’ve managed to replace one of them, but money is always a consideration.
“We’ve got a small budget for the seven gyms. The Federation has always been very supportive, and we can put bids into the Force as well.”
Despite these challenges, the gyms remain free and accessible 24/7, ensuring officers and staff can use them around shift patterns.
Justin said: “I say it all the time, but physical health is closely linked to mental health.
“If someone’s struggling, even just getting on the treadmill or the bike, use the running lanes, anything to move the body can make a difference.
“I do many inductions a year, and you get talking to people about their fitness, health issues they may have had, and what they want to achieve.
“It’s nice to be able to support them with that.
“And the key thing is we’ve got those facilities. We’ve got seven of them across the county, and they’re a really great thing to have.”