New gym run by military veterans aiming to bridge the gap between physical and mental health to open in Northampton

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The gym will also include a coffee shop and will host mental health classes

A new gym which will help people with their mental health as well as their physical wellbeing is set to open in Northampton.

Business partners and military veterans, Shaun Franklin and James Stride have secured a premises in Riverside, next to Mazda in Fortune Close, where work will start immediately with a view to open as a gym in January.

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The duo already owns health company Chamber Health and Wellbeing, which was set up in 2016 after Shaun and James started working with young offenders and former prisoners.

Business partner Shaun Franklin (left) and James Stride (right) are set to open a new gym in Northampton next year.Business partner Shaun Franklin (left) and James Stride (right) are set to open a new gym in Northampton next year.
Business partner Shaun Franklin (left) and James Stride (right) are set to open a new gym in Northampton next year.

Once the company had been created, they also started working in the corporate sector to help workers find the balance between physical and mental health and went on to open their first gym in Yardley Hastings in April last year.

Now Shaun and James want to reach more people, which they hope to do by moving their gym and base to Northampton.

Shaun said: “It’s all about the cultural and community aspect, making sure people feel comfortable and can make friends.

“The exercise is then a by-product of that.

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“Our ethos is to be inclusive and to bridge the gap between mental and physical health.

“The new gym will help us to increase our reach in the hope we can provide help for more people and provide them with an opportunity to move forward and feel better each day.”

The gym, called The Chamber, will be spread over two floors and will include cardio equipment, weights and body building specialist equipment, as well as a studio for pilates hosted by a local instructor.

On top of the physical fitness aspect, the gym will include a coffee shop where anyone will be welcome and mental health classes will be hosted, which is something both Shaun and James know the importance of.

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Both businessmen served in the military; James until around 2008 including a tour of Afghanistan and Iraq and Shaun until 2014, also including a tour of Afghanistan.

Since leaving the armed forces, James has qualified for the Invictus Games where he will be the rowing team captain and Shaun has overcome lows with PTSD, both showing resilience, which is the message they want to portray with their business, especially following a year that has affected so many people.

Shaun added: “For us, this year has been about learning to adapt and think on our feet and to show resilience no matter what you are faced with.

“We were offline before and people had to come to us, so we had to think quickly and think about how to get online.

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“We were community focused and looking after who we had rather than getting new people, with online quizzes and events, which then got us to the position where we can expand.

“We have taken the bull by the horns in the hope it will work.

“We also want to work with external businesses too, so they also benefit from the gym.”

The business partners hope to open the gym in the first week of January.

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Search Chamber Health and Wellbeing on Facebook to find out more and keep up to date with the opening schedule.

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