Our Story
Welcome to Access To Movement, where we are on a mission to support the health and fitness of individuals facing mental health challenges. Our journey began with a deep-rooted passion for fitness and a strong desire to make a positive impact on the community.
The muddy guy below is our founder Steve - a personal trainer with almost a decade of experience. He came up with the idea thanks to a mixture of personal experience, a growing awareness of mental health issues, and a love for fitness.
The specifics of how to combine it all were inspired by one conversation with a client:
The Conversation:
What would you do if you won the lottery?
It was a chilly day on Blackheath, London. Steve was working with a client, and during one of their rest periods, they began discussing the common question: What would you do if you won the lottery? Would you still work?
For Steve, the answer was yes. After making sure the mortgage was paid off, family and close friends were helped out, and making arrangements to travel a bit...he would definitely carry on working. But he'd do thinks slightly differently.
If money was no object, Steve decided he would slim down his client base, and use the free time to offer fitness sessions and advice for people who otherwise wouldn't have access to a personal trainer. Having had his own mental health struggles, and found movement and exercise to be incredibly helpful, he would aim to offer that opportunity to others who had yet to discover those benefits for themselves.
Later, reflecting on this chat, Steve began to wonder....how can I offer that service without the unlikely Lottery win? And that's where the seeds of the Access to Movement idea were sown.
How can you help?
Running a project like Access To Movement comes with challenges. Securing funding to sustain our project and raising awareness about the importance of mental health and fitness are ongoing hurdles we face. So if you can possibly help by donating, your contribution would be greatly appreciated, no matter how large or small.
If you can't help us financially, please share this page and/or our social media channels with anyone who you think could benefit or would be interested to know what we are doing. Having focussed on building his personal training business through word of mouth and referrals over the years, our founder Steve is a self-confessed novice when it comes to social media and marketing. Therefore we are on the lookout for supporters and advocates who can help spread the word. It all helps, no matter how near or far your reach.
Despite the obstacles, we remain committed to our mission and strive to make a difference in the lives of those struggling with mental health issues. Your support, whether through memberships, donations, or spreading the word about our project, is invaluable in helping us continue our work.
Join Us in Making a Difference
If you like what we're doing with the Access to Movement project, there are several ways you can help immediately using the buttons below.
If you are in the position to help us financially, please click the 'Donate' button and see which option works best for you. All donations are gratefully accepted, and every penny will go towards helping our applicants and growing our reach.
You can also head to Instagram and share our profile - any help to spread the word is much appreciated.
If you are a fitness professional who shares our passion for mental health awareness and community impact, we invite you to reach out to us for future opportunities. Together, we can create a supportive environment that promotes health and well-being for all.