Patricia aims to get all of Duhallow fit and healthy
IN 2012 Patricia O’Reilly wanted to live the Canadian dream and spend a summer with her friends working and living in Toronto .. unfortunately, her bank account thought otherwise. Instead, and as she was studying Exercise and Health Fitness in the University of Limerick, she started exercise classes in Innishannon and Newmarket – an early start in business.
However, she did eventually make it to Canada, where she came across a new concept of exercise called ‘Kangoo Jumps’. “I rang home to my extremely generous parents for a loan to buy 15 pairs of boots,” recalls Patricia. “On my return to Ireland, I brought two large hockey bags filled with Kangoo Jumps ready for the leap in Newmarket - this was an instant hit in Duhallow.
A grant from IRD Duhallow allowed her to purchase 60 additional boots and she broke into teaching Kangoo Jumps in primary schools in the area.
“Gymnastics is a core element of the primary school P.E curriculum and schools are not equipped and teachers don’t feel confident teaching it. This allowed me to offer schools my expertise in gymnastics as well as Kangoo Jumps,” says Patricia.
In 2015 Patricia began to teach gymnastics under the label of Duhallow Fitness Centre. held in Boherbue and Newmarket, they drew children flocked from Mallow, Milstreet, Cullen, Rathmore, Kanturk, Banteer and many more. Presently they have 150 members, and the gymnastics sector in her centre now has a waiting list of 100 children.
“This has allowed me to employ two people part time,” says Patricia.
Duhallow Fitness Centre caters for all ages and abilities, and recently added a gymnastics class catering for children with special educational needs. “There is no centre like this is Duhallow that caters for all abilities young and old,” says Patricia.
She is currently in the process of opening a centre of excellence in Newmarket catering for both children’s gymnastics and adult’s exercise classes. “This centre will allow us to operate out of single premises thus ensuring that each participant attends a class with the best of equipment and expertise,” she says.
Patricia is aiming to fill what she sees as a huge need in the local community, and she sees a huge gap in the market.
“DFC’s aim is to create a welcoming environment in a centre that caters for all. Nowadays there is a greater awareness around the needs of wellbeing and mental health amongst all sectors of our community.
“I know my centre will grow from strength to strength … answering a need that is crying out to be filled. This is an ideal place for my community to move forward into a healthier, fitter world.”
The secret of success is to see a gap in the market and to have the foresight and expertise to fill that gap. Patricia saw a gap in the market and is taking full advantage of it.