EMMA CURRY
ATRIO of dedicated instructors have reached the finals of national competitions to find the best fitness trainers in the country.
Kath Hinsley-Jones, from Offerton, Harry Charnock, from Cheadle, and Ruth Lynth, from Blackburn, who all work for Stockport health and fitness provider Life Leisure, have been recognised for their talents.
Ruth, head of health, fitness and communities at Life Leisure, has been shortlisted for the Outstanding Individual of the Year title in the UKActive Training Awards for her commitment to learning and development across the service’s 13 facilities.
Meanwhile, Kath and Harry, both newly qualified fitness instructors ar Life Leisure, have reached the finals of the WorldSkills UK Fitness Trainer Competition, which recognises outstanding students and apprentices.
Kath, aged 45, and Harry, who is just 20, are among eight competitors to reach the finals. Mumof-two Kath, who worked as a hairdresser, cabin crew and soldier before becoming an instructor at Life Leisure in Hazel Grove, said: “I’m so happy, I never had much confidence in myself to become a gym instructor, so to reach the final is a massive boost. I want people to have fun and feel good in their own skin.”
After training to be a hairdresser as a teenager, Kath joined the Army and was among the first wave of women to train with weapons. After five years as a radio operator with the Royal Corps of Signals in Germany, she left to become cabin crew with Monarch Airlines, where she worked for 17 years.
She signed up for a fitness qualification at Stockport College after taking voluntary redundancy, and now says she has found her calling. Kath and Harry had to demonstrate a series of skills before they were chosen as finalists, and they will face new challenges during the WorldSkills UK Live careers fair in Birmingham from ●●Harry Charnock November 15 to 17.
Harry said: “It’s quite a tough competition. You have to prove you have good knowledge and can deliver the right content, but I think a lot of it is about how you interact with the client.”
Mum-of-two Ruth, who has worked in the leisure industry for 22 years, joining Life Leisure in 2003, is the only woman shortlisted for the Outstanding Individual of the Year.
She will attend an awards ceremony on November 15 to see whether her dedication to the service wins her the title.