Business Profile: Marjon

Finding the perfect balance between work, socialising and fitness can be difficult with the hectic lives we live, and most of us dread to head to the gym get in a workout or swim at the end of our day. But what if there was a first-class fitness centre right on your doorstep, home to top of the range facilities and friendly staff to get you on track to success with health and fitness? Look no further than Marjon Sport and Health centre, situated near Derriford Hospital, is not just for professionals and students. Fully open to the public, the university’s state-of-the-art sports centre is fast becoming the health hub of choice for fitness enthusiasts across Plymouth and beyond. Discover a new you and start your health and fitness journey today with Marjon!

The huge range of gyms and sports centre across Plymouth can make it difficult to decidewhich suits you best with both their facilities and your budget. If you’re looking for a centre that fits into both of those categories then Marjon is for you and easily competes with other fitness and health centres in the city, with its 25m pool, state-of-the-art gym equipment and competitive membership options for all. We caught up with Marjon Sports Centre Manager, Simon White, to find out about their impressive facilities and what they can offer you!

The centre, which is only nine years old, also boasts sports halls, gymnasiums,and 3G Astro pitches which can be booked for various activities, as well as sports therapy, personal training, a golf simulator and fitness classes on offer for your use.

The Sports Centre is not only popular with students and the public – professionals have also taken a shine to the facilities. During the Rugby World Cup in 2015, Marjon played host to the Namibia team. The centre also provides the main training facilities for Plymouth Raiders and have hosted training camps for professional and elite sports teams including Bedford Blues and Plymouth Argyle.

It’s easy to forget that the centre is part of a university, with a diverse range of people using the facilities at Marjon. You can be confident knowing that if help is needed, professional and friendly staff will be in hand to help you in any way they can.

Heading to the gym can be intimidating, especially if you’re new to working out, but worry not as Marjon is open to those with all levels of fitness from beginners to avid gym-goers. Their welcoming and friendly staff, on hand to help you feel at ease by helping you navigate your way around the gym, as well as providing comprehensive inductions if required. There is never a better time to kick start your fitness journey than now at Marjon modern and advanced gym featuring brand new, state-of-the-art machines.

The gym at Marjon is full of top-of-the-range equipment from leading brands. Their Synergy functional fitness rig creates an excellent fitness space, and the free weights area is situated in the centre of the gym, making it open and accessible to all.

This gym is also home to the only Life Fitness Power Mills in Plymouth at the moment. These high-tech step machines are popular in the US, and they have a screen which displays various hikes and walks around the world, allowing the user to explore scenery of their choice as they take each step.

Ever keen to keep up with the latest technology, Marjon are always looking at ways to improve their gym facilities with new machines being introduced throughout the year.

Their extensive gym equipment ranges from an array of cardiovascular machines to help get your blood pumping, to a huge range of functional fitness equipment including TRX, Box Jump, Medicine Balls and Boxing Bags and then resistance equipment for those who want to focus on building their strength and muscle mass with a selection of free weights, benches and bars also available.

Are you looking to be fitter, healthier or slimmer but need some guidance and support? Marjon provides personal training plans for those who need that extra support, motivation and push to reach their fitness goals with feedback along the way. With prices starting at just £27 per hour, these sessions give you everything you need to not only get some serious results but provide some life-changing transformations.

Diversity is important at Marjon. Sports Centre Manager, Simon White, makes it clear that visitors are welcome regardless of age, interest or ability – offering up everything you need to find your own path to health and fitness.

The 25m pool is simple, clean and modern – allowing users to focus on their swimming with no unnecessary distractions.

There is no better way of improving your health and fitness or having fun with the family than swimming. With this in mind, Marjon Sports Centre has ensured the pool is accessible for all including those with disabilities as they believe nobody should be excluded from the joy of swimming. Children are always welcome to use the Marjon Sport & Health swimming pool with children under 8 requiring an adult to be in the pool supervising them.

The swimming pool is one of the key features at the centre, stemming 25m in length with a maximum depth of 1.8m at the deep end. The pool is always set up with a training lane for those who are keen to train without being disturbed. The shallow end of the pool sits at 0.9m in depth to make it child and family-friendly with knowledgeable staff always on hand to assist anyone who needs support and advice.

Taking the plunge might be daunting for someone who hasn’t swum in a while, particularly if you’re new the centre and you’re on your own, but the entire layout of the changing rooms and pool area is easy to navigate.

Swimming lessons are on offer for both children and adults, in small group sessions. One to one classes can also be arranged, if additional support is needed.

The swimming timetable at Marjon varies, with general sessions starting as early as 6:30 am and ending at 9 pm on certain days. The schedule is updated regularly and is available on their website.

Classes and pool sessions have been planned with various people in mind – an all abilities cycle class is on offer, and in the pool, there are sessions available exclusively for over 60s.

At Marjon Health and Wellbeing, they aim to help you to lead a healthy lifestyle through learning more about physical activity, healthy eating and relaxation strategies.

You’ll be provided with the tools you need to improve your quality of life and to reach your goals. Their flexible person-centred approach means that you as the patient are able to explore and find out what works to support your own unique concerns and issues. You will benefit from many different activities and discussions including walking, swimming, massage, sleep, diet, pain, physical activity and exercise.

Final year sports students are stationed across the centre offering clinics, therapies and training, allowing them to gain practical experience while putting their studies into practice – on hand to help your out with your health and fitness goals.

Marjon Sports Centre offers courses in Sports Therapy, Science and Rehabilitation using cutting edge technology and techniques, and by their final year these students are fully qualified, although they are always supervised by staff holding a professional license and insurance to practice.

All of this makes their pricing very competitive – a 55-minute treatment in the Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation Clinic costs just £20.00 to be seen by a graduate therapist and £15 to be seen by a student therapist, and this covers manual therapy, soft tissue therapy, electrotherapy and more.

These clinics are often used by those recovering from surgery or cancer, and staff work with clients to help them back into exercise, using various equipment and tailored programmes to do so.
If you’ve worked up an appetite during your swim, gym or sports session then the on-site café is a great place to wind down, with hot food and light snacks are available to ease your hunger!

Become a member at Marjon today!

The membership plans at Marjon Sports Centre are competitive and flexible, with various options to choose from, although you can also pay-as-you-go to use the gym and pool if you’d like to give it a try before becoming a member.

Their most popular membership option is just £31 per month or £310 for the year, and covers unlimited use of the pool and the gym with induction and a personal programme included.

There is the option to add group exercise classes to your membership for an additional £10 per month / £100 per year.

These memberships include a parking permit which allows members to park right outside the building (pay as you go users can register their car at reception for free parking).

The centre is easy to find – from the Derriford Roundabout take the exit towards the hospital, then take the first left at the traffic lights. Continue down this road to the mini roundabout and the large Marjon Sports Centre building and car park is immediately on the right.