Kimbolton School in Cambridgeshire is set to officially open a brand-new fitness suite within the Roger Peel Sports Centre at its Senior School in November, creating a new facility that will benefit both pupils and the wider local community.
Over the summer holidays, the school undertook a major redevelopment of the spaces surrounding the main sports hall to create The Ian Knapp Fitness Suite, in a move designed to support health, wellbeing and active lifestyles for people of all ages. The state-of-the-art development reflects Kimbolton School’s ongoing commitment to sharing its facilities beyond the school gates and strengthening its role at the heart of the local area.
The new facilities will include a dedicated weights room on the ground floor and an aerobic fitness room on the first floor, significantly enhancing the school’s strength and conditioning provision for pupils. Like the school’s award-winning swimming pool, the fitness suite will primarily be used by students during the school day, but will be open to staff, parents and members of the local community throughout the year.
Commenting on the project, Will Chuter, headteacher at Kimbolton School, said: “We know how important accessible, high-quality fitness facilities are in supporting both physical and mental wellbeing, and we are proud to be able to offer this outstanding resource to our pupils, local residents, parents and staff. It represents another important investment in sport and wellbeing at Kimbolton School, ensuring that pupils have access to outstanding training facilities while also creating a valuable new amenity for the surrounding community.”
The new fitness suite is named after Ian Knapp – a former Kimbolton School pupil. Ian was passionate about his sporting endeavours when he attended Kimbolton in the 1960s and now wants to support the same ambitions among today’s pupils.
The project also attracted generous donations from other Old Kimboltonians, current and former staff and individual parents. In parallel, Kimbolton School Parents’ Association (KSPA) pledged funding for the spectacular glass wall that encloses the cardio-vascular machines on the upper floor.
For more information about Kimbolton School, visit kimboltonschool.com