Guest post by Eleanor Thorn
For the past couple of weeks now Sam Aremu has been out in the local riverside parks (Durand’s Wharf and King’s Stairs Gardens), 6pm-8pm Monday to Friday, giving fitness sessions to anyone willing to give it a go.
He moved to Rotherhithe from Camberwell two years ago when his daughter was born. He was drawn here as he had fond memories of the nearby Fisher Club where he started boxing in his teens. A schoolfriend got him to go along with him and that was it, he was hooked.
His passion for fitness training really began about five years ago. Two years ago he took it a step further and paid greater attention to diet as well, and last year he qualified as a personal trainer.
What sparked off his current initiative was the desire for his daughter to be able to play outdoors, freely and safely in a community in which neighbours know each other, as he used to do when he was little. Too often we don’t know the people we are living right next to.
So he thought about what he could do to make a change and came up with this idea that he could share his knowledge of fitness and help people get into shape.
As he says, “We live in such a beautiful area with wonderful views from the riverside. I want people not to be cooped up but getting out there and enjoying the fresh air. You don’t get that in a gym.”
He is keen to encourage everyone to join him. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never done anything like it before. “It’s all about being positive” he says. The idea is to ease people into it and build up their self-belief, and then set challenges.
Practicalities
Sam Aremu of Postcode Fitness meets at 7pm by the riverside at King’s Stairs Gardens everyday Monday to Friday. His sessions are run on a donation basis: pay what you can and what you think is reasonable.
Times can occasionally vary. Do call first to check: 020 3332 0301 (originally the meeting place was Durand’s Wharf however the street lighting is not currently working there)
- Email [email protected]
- Twitter: @postcodefitness