Caldicot kids go crazy for Activ8

When you consider that ZigZag Circuit has only been installed at Caldicot Leisure Centre for just over a year, it’s amazing how much activity they have created around it.

Weekdays are taken up by the 1,200 children from Caldicot Comprehensive School, where the centre is based, as well as younger children from the 16 local Primary schools that it feeds into.

The evenings are packed with children attending the 10-week ZigZag Circuit courses, youth centre gym sessions and children completing the physical activity section of their Duke of Edinburgh Award.

“When we refurbished the leisure centre we were looking for something unique to fill the newly available space and increase revenue,” said Ian Saunders, Leisure Centres Business Development Manager. “Our adult gym is very successful and we wanted to offer something for children – we certainly made the right decision installing ZigZag’s Circuit range. The evening course is chocker block and we have a waiting list that could fill the sessions several times over.”

The 10-week courses for beginners, beginners 1, intermediate and advanced, run parallel to the swimming courses, and Caldicot eventually intends to co-ordinate all of its programmes to maximise usage of the facilities on offer.

Even so, ZigZag’s Circuit programme has an 85% retention rate at Caldicot, something any health club or leisure centre can be proud of.

“The youth centre now uses the ZigZag Circuit gym on Tuesday evenings,” said Nick John. “It’s really popular and offers another way for children to get onto the courses which are fully booked!

“There’s a big demand for us to open the ZigZag Circuit gym as we do our adult gym, but the difficulty we have is finding enough fully qualified staff to run it in this rural area. We look to employ instructors who have a specific children’s gym qualification as well as attain level 2 of the Register of Exercise Professionals.”