Les Mills Fitness partners with the Mayor’s Fund for London

This Summer, Les Mills Fitness has partnered with independent, social mobility charity the Mayor’s Fund for London to provide their BORN TO MOVE online classes to thousands of young people who visit the Mayor’s Fund for London Kitchen Social programme’s community organisations across the capital.

Les Mills is the global leader in group fitness and creator of 20 programs available in leading fitness facilities around the world. The company was founded by Les Mills – a four-time Olympian and head coach of New Zealand’s track and field team – who opened his first gym in 1968 with the aim of taking elite sports training to the masses.

Today, Les Mills workouts are delivered by 140,000 certified instructors in 21,000 clubs across 100 countries and are also available digitally via the LES MILLS+ app.

BORN TO MOVE is Les Mills’ fitness programme for young people, catering for children aged 2 to 16. By using music and movements tailored to each age group, the programme helps to create positive physical habits, using a fun and enjoyable format.

Classes are delivered by a highly trained instructor with music and lyrics driving the routines and exercises. Children sing and dance through moves that build body awareness and balance.

This new partnership sees Les Mills Fitness team up with Kitchen Social, the Mayor’s Fund for London’s flagship holiday food and wellbeing programme, to deliver unlimited fitness classes via their network of 100 grassroots community organisations.

The programme works with local communities across London to provide young people with a safe place to go during the school holidays where they can socialise, make new friends, and receive a free, healthy meal.

Kitchen Social will also provide BORN TO MOVE Virtual Coach Training to 20 young people, enabling them to qualify as certified Les Mills coaches and subsequently deliver classes in their communities. The Berkeley Foundation is generously funding this additional opportunity.

Since the launch of Kitchen Social, the programme has provided over a million meals to young Londoners, with the programme seeing demand skyrocket over the course of the summer holidays. Over 110 community clubs around the capital have received small grants for good food and holiday activities, aimed at the estimated 400,000 children and young people in London who are most at risk of food insecurity.

Jade Harris, Head of Food and Wellbeing at the Mayor’s Fund for London said:

“The power of partnerships is clear. Thanks to Les Mills Fitness and the extra support from the Berkeley Foundation, Kitchen Social will benefit from unlimited, bespoke fitness programmes from an industry leader.

“We can now offer high-quality, popular classes to young Londoners who may not otherwise have had access to such a programme. This will be a valuable tool for supporting wellbeing during a challenging time, as the cost-of-living crisis bites.

“Working with 20 young people, we will also nurture the next generation of fitness leaders. This is an exciting prospect for our community partners and most importantly, London’s young people.”

Justine Williams, Global Business Development Manager at Les Mills Fitness said:

“We aim to inspire our children and young people to fall in love with movement and play – all while creating healthy habits of a lifetime.  

“Supporting the Mayor’s Fund for London’s invaluable Kitchen Social programme, Les Mills BORN TO MOVE™, will provide an accessible opportunity for the children to express themselves, physically and have fun.

“Improving well-being and enriching activities at such a challenging time for London’s children and their families, it’s a privilege to do what we can.”

Clare Maddison, Head of the Berkeley Foundation said:

“We aim to have a positive impact on the lives of people living in our local communities, and so we are delighted to support the Mayor’s Fund for London Kitchen Social programme with a new opportunity to nurture young people and help them build vital skills in an exciting and fun way.”

For more information about the Kitchen Social programme, visit the Mayor’s Fund for London website.

For press enquires at the Mayor’s Fund for London, please contact Shahnaz Awan at sawan@mayorsfundforlondon.org.uk.

For press enquiries at the Berkeley Foundation, please contact Emma Lidefjard at emma.lidefjard@berkeleyfoundation.org.uk or +44 (0)734 205 9925.