In the heart of Tredegar town, near the entrance to the Blaenau Gwent shopping centre is a gym that has become a massive part of the community over the last five years. Offering knock-down prices for locals, as well as healthy meals at their front of house cafe, Fresh Active gym owned by Aron Williams and Liam Jenkins has become not only a place to exercise in, but a lifeline to many in the community as well.
The pair of owners who are both life-long residents of the area themselves say they have gradually become a central hub for residents in the community since opening their doors in 2017, and hope they can now take their brand of cost-effective fitness even further across the borough of Blaenau Gwent in the coming years. To keep up to date with news from across the borough, you can subscribe to our newsletter here.
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It's a sunny day in Tredegar, as a steady flow of people stream in and out of the Blaenau Gwent shopping centre, in the town that was previously named as having the second highest levels of deprivation among towns in England and Wales, according to the 2020 Centre of Towns study which looked at the short-term and long-term implications of coronavirus. You can read more about that here.
The area has shown some resilience in the time since however, as a number of shops have once again filled the shopping centre near the northern entrance of the town. It was this resilience that made Aron Williams, 27, who was formerly a reality television star on MTV's The Valleys, want to leave behind other ventures in Durham to start a new business in his home town.
He said: "We opened Fresh Active gym almost five years ago next month and to be honest we absolutely love having it here in Tredegar. It all started when I bumped into my friend Liam after a couple of years and we just started talking about something we could do that would not only help the people in the area, but could also become a successful business as well.
"As we had both worked in local leisure centres and gyms before we felt there was a bit of a gap in the market for a private gym in the town and thought it would be nice to do together, so we decided to get a place by the shopping centre and it really took off. We have an amazing group of people who use it at the moment, many coming from Tredegar, but also others who come from places such as Bargoed and Ebbw Vale.
"It's important to us that we try to keep the prices as low as possible for things like memberships and fitness classes so it gives as many people as possible the chance to come as it's quite affordable. In what is known as an underprivileged area it has really had a great response, and with our prices starting at just £9.99 per month, it's the kind of budget gym that can have a big impact in allowing people to keep fit."
Aron, who was not only a star in the MTV reality show but also a world champion kick-boxer in his youth, says it is not just the low prices or facilities on offer at the gym that makes it popular, but the friendly atmosphere that makes people feel like they are part of a family.
He added: "We do have a range of classes on offer, from things like yoga and aerobics to boxing, dance and body conditioning, and we cater for all ages and abilities so there's no reason everyone can't come along.
"The main feedback we get from our customers is how much they enjoy the atmosphere here though, and having that welcoming vibe is something that is important to us. Obviously we're local boys so we do understand the clientele that come here, and we have that rapport with them which I think they appreciate. It's not just about people coming in to train either as they can also come in just to have a coffee and a chat, and in many ways it has become a bit of a meeting place for certain groups now."
Liam Jenkins, 32, who was previously a manager at a council-run sports centre added that he is now hopeful of taking the brand to other parts of the borough in the future. He said: "We currently have a good number of people on the books and usually get a few hundred people through the doors every day, and it really is like a family here. There's a real sort of community training vibe as soon as you walk through the doors and you can tell people enjoy coming. We know everyone and they know us, and we're always happy to help people however we can.
"It was a bit of a scary time during Covid as nobody knew what was going to happen, but thankfully a lot of our customers kept supporting us and kept us going, so we have to say a big thank you to them now that we've made out the other side. We feel like this is just the beginning for Fresh Active to be honest, and we are hopeful that as it continues to grow in the future we can start to open up in other locations across the borough so we can keep developing ourselves and others in the communities we work in."
