1Life’s innovative approach to leisure has seen the conversion of a sorry-looking storage shed into a thriving cross-training hub, much to the delight of Milton Keynes sports teams and a surprising number of over-40s women who realise that 'strong is the new skinny'

Faced with a run-down tractor shed in the middle of Woughton-on-the-Green playing fields, many operators would no doubt call in the bulldozer. But instead, 1Life saw an exciting opportunity. To reinvent this tired old box, the leisure operator thought outside of it, creating a captivating cross training Depot which has since become the talk of the town.

NEW LEASE OF LIFE
1Life’s conversion of this ageing out-house into a state-of-the-art fitness facility is a prime example of the fresh thinking which has seen the company quickly make its mark in Milton Keynes.

After recently winning a 10-year contract to manage five leisure facilities across the borough, 1Life has led a £1.3m investment programme to breathe new life into the portfolio. Woughton Leisure Centre has been transformed into the 21st century thanks to a raft of upgraded technology and concepts, while Windmill Hill Golf Course’s unused clubhouse has been reimagined as a specialised health and wellbeing centre for Milton Keynes' deconditioned market.

But it is perhaps The Depot that has set pulses racing the fastest. Offering military style strength and conditioning training sessions, the facility has a no-frills finish, with focus on the delivery of a series of hardcore workouts and personal training. Racks, rigs, benches, bars and ropes from BEAVERFIT replace traditional gym equipment, in line with the soaring consumer demand for a return to stripped back functional fitness offerings.

“There’s no doubt that the most active sections of society have sought more of a back-to-basics approach to workouts in recent years, with wearable technology serving the tracking functions which were once the preserve of large flashing machines,” says 1Life's MD, Neil King.

“Two of the biggest trends in health and fitness right now – which have both spread quickly from London – are the resurgence of group exercise classes and functional fitness; concepts which dovetail perfectly at The Depot.”

King continues: “Perhaps the real surprise for us has been the number of mums and ladies in their 40s who are regularly using the facility – which goes against all of the Sport England segmentation data

"They love the fact that the Depot is different. They tell us it’s a great workout and they also love the fact that small group training of this type is great fun and really builds amazing motivation and camaraderie.”

DYNAMIC TRAINING FOR SPORTS TEAMS
While undoubtedly a hit with the wider public, The Depot was actually created with another target group in mind. Combining its exercise adherence knowledge with the guiding principles in the government’s recent Sporting Future strategy, 1Life has developed a range of different activity options to engage specific sections of society.

In the case of The Depot, the facility has been conceived as a fitness and performance centre for the various local sports teams that train on Woughton-on-the-Green playing fields, providing a range of intense cardio/strength and dynamic workouts to help push the players to the very top of their game.

Despite having one of the highest densities of private gyms in the country, in addition to soaring rates of inactivity and obesity, innovative fitness concepts remain surprisingly rare in Milton Keynes and it was 1Life’s eagerness to reinvent the wheel which helped them to win over Milton Keynes Council.

“1Life brought a lot of fresh thinking to the table and we were pretty well sold on the idea of The Depot straight away as it’s where MK Dons first team train, you have top hockey and cricket clubs there, as well as softball, baseball,” comments Paul Sanders, MK Council’s Assistant Director, Community Facilities.

“We loved the idea of turning the old tractor shed into a functional fitness facility – we used to keep our old grass-cutting machinery in there!

"It’s a rustic concept and sits really well with the sports teams who play there and want to be fit to compete.”