Homegrown Talent Powers Wellbeing Hub

Homegrown fitness squad ready to power wellbeing at Hartlepool’s spectacular Highlight Active Wellbeing Hub. A massive boost to physical fitness and mental wellbeing in Hartlepool is officially underway, driven by a squad of newly qualified local experts ready to transform lives at the town’s spectacular new Highlight Active Wellbeing Hub.

Following the highly anticipated summer opening of the premier marina waterfront destination, six dedicated students from Hartlepool College of Further Education are stepping up to ensure the community gets the maximum health benefits from the state-of-the-art facility.

Gavin Lee, Emily Swales, Rebecca Swales, Georgia Marshall, Jack Carr and Ava Smith have all successfully secured their Level 2 certificate in Gym Instructing. Having previously worked in various general leisure roles for Hartlepool Borough Council's Active Hartlepool service, the newly upskilled group are fully qualified to deliver expert gym inductions and bespoke fitness programmes to the public.

With the multi-million-pound Highlight Active Wellbeing Hub having opened its doors in June to replace the ageing Mill House Leisure Centre, this influx of fresh, homegrown talent is perfectly timed. The students are not stopping there, either, with all six already progressing onto the advanced Level 3 Personal Training diploma to further elevate the standard of coaching available to residents.

Craig Scorer, lecturer in fitness, personal training, and exercise referral at Hartlepool College, said: “It's great that the college can play a vital role within the local community, providing high-quality teaching and training, ensuring that the employers around the town have access to highly skilled staff. “This will be of great benefit to Highlight as it will ensure that they are at the forefront of the health and fitness industry around Hartlepool. Highlight is such a good resource for local residents as, along with highly skilled staff, it also possesses state-of-the-art equipment and high-quality group exercise classes. This will ensure that the local area and population will be fitter, healthier, and happier.”

The collaboration between the college and the local authority underlines a powerful shared commitment to nurturing talent and prioritising public health. Councillor Rob Darby, Chair of Hartlepool Borough Council's Housing, Growth and Communities Committee, said: “This partnership with Hartlepool College is absolutely crucial to the success of Highlight and our wider vision for the town's wellbeing. By investing in our team and utilising the excellent training available right on our doorstep, we are building a passionate, highly qualified workforce. These six individuals already know our community, and now they have the skills to help our residents make the very most of this incredible new facility. It is exactly this kind of collaborative partnership that transforms a state-of-the-art building into a true community hub.”

Inside Highlight: The newly qualified team is already putting members through their paces in a premium 100-station gym outfitted with the latest inclusive Technogym equipment and dedicated indoor cycling studios. The students are supporting a facility built with accessibility at its core.

Highlight boasts specialist accessible gym equipment, level access, and state-of-the-art pool pods allowing wheelchair users to independently enter the swimming pools. Highlight promises to be the beating heart of Hartlepool’s active future - a future now being expertly driven forward by a generation of local fitness professionals developed by Hartlepool College.