At Your Leisure...

The Aspire Leisure Centre was the first fully accessible leisure centre in Europe for both disabled and non-disabled people, and is based in north west London within the grounds of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore.

The centre offers a wide range of classes to cater to all levels of fitness and ability, and proactively encourage disabled people to join in and take part in all activities at the centre. Their disabled members benefit from subsidised membership and activity costs and are also able to make use of the fully accessible gym and facilities.

These facilities include a wheelchair accessible heated swimming pool; an Inclusive Fitness Initiative approved fitness studio andaccessible gymequipment.

Over 32% of Aspire Leisure Centre members are disabled, compared to an average of just 2-3% at other sports centres nationally. We're passionate about inclusive fitness and the good practice at Aspire Leisure Centre inspired our InstructAbility programme – a national project to train disabled people as fitness instructors.

Aspire Leisure Centre has gained Quest (UK Quality Scheme for Sport and Leisure) registration as 'Very Good' and has been fully approved by the Inclusive Fitness Initiative with an Excellent.

Aspire is a national charity that provides practical help to people who have been paralysed by Spinal Cord Injury. A spinal cord injury can happen to anyone at any time, and no one is prepared for how it will change their life. Aspire exists because there is currently no cure. People with Spinal Cord Injury will lose muscle and sensory control and a large majority will become full time wheelchair users for the rest of their lives.

Historically, the majority of spinal injuries have been sustained by those aged 21 to 30, with nearly three quarters of newly spinally injured people being male. However, Spinal Cord Injury is increasingly affecting older people now too.Approximately 2,500 people sustain a spinal cord injury in the UK each year.Through its projects and programmes, Aspire offers practical support to the 50,000 people living with a spinal cord injury in the UK. This support allows people with spinal injury to lead fulfilled and independent lives in their homes, with their families, in their workplace and in leisure time.