Better spaces to work and rest

The Rec Club continues to provide RFL staff and the local community with the opportunity to increase their physical activity, help relieve stress and anxiety and improve overall health.

The club is firmly committed to offering its facilities at affordable prices and this is reflected in the high levels of use by its members and visitors. They make full use of our equipment, our team of fitness experts and personal trainers who encourage and cajole in equal measure, and our incredible sports hall and swimming pool, where they relax and wind down after a busy day. Our Pilates, spinning, yoga and aerobic classes also provide something for everyone, whatever their level. This year we also made a significant investment in the refurbishment of the changing rooms for women and disabled people.

52,758 STAFF VISITS

TO THE REC CLUB SHOP IN THE EIGHT WEEKS OF OPERATION COVID-19 EMERGENCY APPEAL – THE REC CLUB SHOP

As the pandemic gathered pace, we worked closely with the RFL to determine the immediate needs of staff. Using funds and goods so generously donated to our emergency appeal, we re-purposed the sports hall into 'Free@theFree' – a free supermarket for our hospital staff.

A massive operation saw the stockroom filled and emptied every day, with six free snacks, basic necessities or more substantial items on offer to staff on each occasion. At the height of the crisis, around 7,500 staff were visiting the shop each week to select food and other items to keep them going. Much of the stock was donated on a daily basis by local firms, and donations made to the charity’s emergency appeal were also used to buy items that staff needed but which weren’t included in deliveries. A similar scheme at Barnet Hospital provided goods for a further 4,650 frontline workers each week.

Staff who were self-isolating at home weren’t forgotten either. Working in close cooperation with the hospitals, the charity re-purposed one of the club’s studios to store weekly food boxes for the most vulnerable, with charity volunteers delivering more than 30 food boxes to them each week, each with enough to feed two adults for a week. Ready meals also went to staff living in temporary accommodation near the hospital. One of the studios was converted into a rest area for staff. The facilities department was also given 24-hour access to the club’s changing rooms and lockers so that, even at the peak of the crisis, they could keep their belongings secure and have a hot shower at the end of their long shifts.

“It is great to have a shop after work as we nurses are tired, hungry and stressed and we don’t have a time to think about daily shopping. Thank you so much for feeding us. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Many thanks.” Nurse “It makes such a difference to someone who has been on the wards all day and often having not had much of a break, to be able to come and pick up things they can use at home, rather than having to join a supermarket queue.” Kelly Rush, Recreation Club manager