Gym manager Julie, assistant manager Nick and Sophie from the BHF

A new Leicester gym, due to open in the city next month, will be putting its fitness instructors to the test to raise money for heart patients.

Staff at Pure Gym, which is located on Walnut Street, are taking part in a fundraising ‘row-a-thon’ on Tuesday 2^nd August after it’s new 24 hour, state of the art club opens later this month.  The team hopes to row for 10 hours between 10am and 8pm.

All money raised will go towards the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) Mending Broken Hearts Appeal - a major new programme of research in regenerative medicine to find a cure for heart disease.  The Mending Broken Hearts project involves stem cell research and developmental biology to work out how to repair or replace damaged heart muscle to literally ‘mend broken hearts’ in as little as 10 years time.

Julie Suggitt, General Manager for the new Pure Gym, said instructors would be rowing non-stop in a bid to encourage donations from its growing number of new members.  “The British Heart Foundation is a great cause and hopefully a charity we’ll continue to support in the future.  We also want to encourage people to think about their own health and wellbeing,” said Julie.

Helping the instructors shape up for the event has been British Heart Foundation Fundraising Volunteer Manager Sophie Jardine.

Sophie said, “I like to keep in shape so I’m looking forward to seeing what the Pure Gym instructors can do during the row-a-thon. I hope the public get behind them to because it’s in aid of a great cause. Heart and circulatory disease is the UK’s biggest killer and people who are physically active are half as likely to get cardiovascular disease than those that are inactive.

“It is great that Pure Gym is supporting our Mending Broken Hearts Appeal and I urge all the new gym members to get on board and back them.”

Anyone interested in joining Pure Gym is being encouraged to do so now before the opening non 8^th July, to make the most of the introductory rate of just £9.99 per month.

For more information visit the website at www.puregym.com or visit the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pure-Gym-Leicester/192480670786826 or Twitter @puregym.

Whilst many people sit back and watch this year’s Wimbledon Championships whilst tucking into their strawberries and cream, the Unsworth Sugden PR team has been busy serving up some great coverage for client Schlüter-Systems after the leading supplier of tile solutions installed several of its market leading products at the world famous Number One Court.

Many of the hospitality suites surrounding the 11,429 capacity court at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, which plays host to many of the world’s best tennis players during the two-week Grand Slam tournament, now feature amongst other products the famous orange Schlüter-DITRA matting, the world’s leading uncoupling membrane which neutralises cracks and prevents movements from the screed being transferred to the tiled surface of the various hospitality areas and terraces.

After commissioning some tennis themed PR photography shots and issuing a press release, we received coverage in both the local media such as this fab piece in the Leicester Mercury and this article in Midlands Business Insider; plus many of the building and tiling trade titles including Tilezine and Building Talk.

Schlüter-Systems' Stuart Ross with the Schlüter-DITRA matting

This May, client David Wilson Mercia took to the water as they entered a team into Wolverhampton Rotary Club’s annual Dragon Boat race, held at Himley Park.

They participated in the event to boost David Wilson’s profile in nearby Gornal, where the company has recently launched its Brecon View development.

The team managed to come a respectable seventh place out of 29, narrowly missing out on the final race.

Making a splash in Gornal

The green men and women hit Leicester

Is it a bird, is it a plane?  No it’s a Pure Gym dancing morph!

City-dwellers may have noticed that the streets of Leicester have recently been over run by a team of bright green dancing morphs.  The sight may be a strange one, but spotting them could lead to big rewards.

Pure Gym, the company behind the crazy characters, is offering prizes to the first five people who emails them a picture of a morph taken in the city’s streets.

The giveaway includes free six month’s membership to Pure Gym with one free personal training session.  The competition is all part of Pure Gym’s official launch campaign for its new club on Walnut Street.

Pure Gym is a new concept, low cost, 24 hour, no contract gym.  The club will boast more than 220 pieces of the latest exercise equipment as well as over 40 free classes per week and personal training services.  They will also be offering Zumba – a new class which is taking the UK by storm.

Leicester will be the company’s fourteenth branch and one of 15 new clubs planned for this year.  Refurbishment work is currently underway at the site, which was formerly the Sturgis Land Rover garage. 

Gym Manager, Julie Suggitt said, “Our dancing morphs have already been catching the eyes of passers by in Leicester so we’re calling for any eagled eyed shoppers or residents to take a picture of them on their mobile phone and email them to us  The first five we receive will win a prize. 

“Better still, if you spot one of the characters why not pose in the picture with them?  The best snaps will be posted up onto our Facebook page.  The morphs will be hitting the city’s streets at weekends regularly for the next month so keep your eyes peeled!”

Anyone interested in joining Pure Gym is being encouraged to do so now, before the opening, to make the most of the introductory rate of just £9.99 per month.

Pictures of morphs should be emailed to info@puregym.co.uk.  Entrants should state their name and telephone number as well as detailing when and where they spotted the morph.

Pure Gym will open in June.  To join or for more information visit the website at www.puregym.com, or visit the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pure-Gym-Leicester/192480670786826 or Twitter at @puregym.  

A major part of our role in the PR department is responding quickly and efficiently to enquiries from journalists, whether from trade magazines, your local daily paper, regional weeklies and even freelancers working for the nationals.

It’s particularly important to reply promptly when the request goes out to a whole host of other PR agencies and market experts, as in most cases the quicker you can reply with the correct information in the desired format, the more chance there is of it being included.

So when award winning property journalist Graham Norwood came looking for the top 20 new build developments in any commuter area outside of London, the Unsworth Sugden PR team swung into action.

Not only were we able to supply brief details of developments from a number of our clients, we were also able to supply additional information that was requested including the nearest mainline station and the annual standard class season ticket price.

This swift response proved a success as developments for two clients were then featured in THIS PIECE by Graham in yesterday’s Sunday Telegraph.

A quick response saw us secure client coverage ahead of others

Pure Gym manager Julie Suggitt

Staff from Leicester’s newest city centre gym will be getting participants of this Sunday’s (22^nd May) Rainbows Walk of Life warmed up for the event as they embark on the five or 15 mile course.

Pure Gym, a low cost, no contract, 24 hour gym, which set to open on Walnut Street next month, is showing it support for Rainbows and National Children’s Hospice Week by lending a hand at the super hero themed race warm up.

Rainbows hopes around 700 people will take part in the event and Pure Gym will make sure they’re all stretched and their muscles warmed through.

Julie Suggitt, Gym Manager said, “We are delighted to be supporting the Walk of Life event this weekend.  Our expert fitness professionals will be on hand to make sure all the participants are prepared for the walk.

“We’ll be doing a series of fun and easy exercises to music, which are suitable for all ages and abilities and will ensure that no one pulls a muscle or strains themselves during the event.”

Cathy Bown, Event Fundraiser at Rainbows added, “We’re really grateful to Pure Gym and all the other companies who are supporting our Walk of Life. Everyone’s looking forward to a super hero warm up before setting off!”

Pure Gym, which has secured premises at the old Sturgis Land Rover garage on Walnut Street, will open its doors in June.  Refurbishment work is progressing well and will see the former garage transform into a state of the art, 24 hour, low cost, no contract club with more than 220 pieces of the latest exercise equipment.

This new opening forms part of Pure Gym’s ambitious expansion plan to open 15 new sites in the next year.  The Leicester project is the fourteenth gym in the company’s portfolio.  The club will provide its members with some of the best fitness equipment available including TRX suspension trainer, Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG spin bikes by Matrix and vibrating Bodycore functional training platforms. 

The fully air conditioned gym will also offer its members over 40 free classes per week including spinning, circuits and legs, bums and tums. They will also offer additional specialist classes, such as Zumba from just £2.  Members will receive a free exercise induction and access to a dedicated member’s area on the website complete with online training and nutritional advice.  A personal training service will also be available.

Anyone interested in joining is being encouraged to do so now, before the opening, to make the most of the introductory rate of just £9.99 per month.

Pure Gym will open in June.  To join or for more information on the jobs available visit the website at www.puregym.com, or visit the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pure-Gym-Leicester/192480670786826 or Twitter at @puregym. 

For more information about Rainbows and the Walk of Life event visit www.rainbows.co.uk/walkoflife.

The USA PR team has been tasked with helping to promote a brand new gym in Leicester.  Occupying a prominent site on Walnut Road, Pure Gym is a new concept, fast-growing business which sought a local agency to support its launch campaign.

The former Sturgis Land Rover dealership on Walnut Street is currently being converted by Pure Gym into a 17,000 sq ft state of the art, 24 hour, no contract gym with male and female changing facilities and fitness studio.

Due to open in June, the fit out will take just eight weeks and will breathe new life into this landmark building, which has sat empty for the past two years after Sturgis Land Rover moved to purpose built premises on Narborough Road.

The new gym will bring 20 new full and part time jobs to the city and forms part of Pure Gym’s ambitious plan to launch 25 new sites by the end of 2011. 

The facility will house more than 200 pieces of brand new equipment including the TRX suspension trainer and will provide its members with free classes, personal training and nutritional advice, all for a low membership fee and no contract.

The North Yorkshire-based company already has 13 sites across the country from Aberdeen in the north to Southampton in the south. 

For more information visit the website at www.puregym.co.uk, the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pure-Gym-Leicester/192480670786826?sk=wall&filter=12 or Twitter at @puregym.

The Lyng, a new homes development from client Barratt West Midlands was officially opened to the public by West Bromwich Albion legends, Tony ‘Bomber’ Brown and Brendon Batson MBE.  It was a superb event, well managed by the Unsworth Sugden PR team and extremely well attended by local homebuyers - more than 100 came to visit over the weekend.  Many interested parties also turned up in the Baggies shirts and got the chance to have their photo taken with their idols.  Thanks to Toby Savage for the photos.

Director of PR Hannah with Brendon and Bomber

The phrase ‘Charity Tuesday’ isn’t solely confined to Twitter today after work by the Unsworth Sugden PR team saw coverage in this morning’s Leicester Mercury for client Westleigh Developments. This comes after its commercial division welcomed the regional office of a leading national charity to its LE3 office park in Leicester Forest East.

Tuesdays on the social networking and micro blogging website appear to have been designated as the chosen day of the week for charities and good causes to raise awareness and tell the world both what they do and when they do it, using the hashtag #charitytuesday.

So it seems quite apt that we have received coverage on a Tuesday for our press release about Alzheimer’s Society relocating its office for Leicester City, Leicestershire and Rutland from Humberstone Gate in the city centre to new premises at the development, close to junction 21a of the M1, which provides it with more space and the opportunity for future growth.

We spoke to representatives from the charity, Westleigh and property agents Innes England to gauge their opinions on the move and the local commercial property market before also organising photography and liaising with the paper. The end result was this great piece in today’s Business supplement.

(from left to right) Matt Moore of Westleigh, Sally Grundy of Alzheimer’s Society and Chris Page from Innes England at LE3

Both client Schlüter-Systems and the PR team are celebrating after the Schlüter Online Academy won the Best Innovation category at The Tile Association (TTA) Awards 2011 on Saturday!

The web-based training facility is the first of its kind in the tiling industry and despite being just a few months old was named as winner at a lavish awards ceremony in Birmingham at the weekend (2nd April).

As previously revealed on our blog, this comes after the PR team liaised closely with the client to create a detailed, informative and smart award entry.

The Schlüter Online Academy is a complete online learning system, providing 24 hour access to a wealth of product and continuing professional development (CPD) courses, aimed at building the knowledge and confidence of people throughout the industry. It works alongside Schlüter’s existing detailed training programmes which keep installers, distributors, architects, retailers, stockists, tiling lecturers at college and trainers at independent training centres up to date with the latest trends and technology.

To sign up for the Schlüter Online Academy, please visit www.elearningatschluter.co.uk and click on Register.

Both the client and PR team are celebrating!