General News

Bancroft Fitness opens its doors to community for open house 

November 9, 2022

By Mike Riley
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Bancroft Fitness is having an open house on Nov. 12 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to an Oct. 6 post on their Facebook page. The event will allow members of the community to come out, ask questions and see the space prior to joining the gym. Bancroft Community Family Health Team executive assistant and program facilitator Jocelyn Jan comments more on this upcoming event. 
Jan says that preparations for the open house are going great, and that they just had some minor planning left. The open house will be on Nov. 12 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Bancroft Fitness location at 16 Station St. 
Bancroft Fitness was initially started by Dr. Carolyn Brown down in L’Amable almost 20 years ago. As a collaboration with the BCFHT since the summer of 2019, Bancroft Fitness has the ability to coordinate with members’ health care providers if they so desire. It is also a not-for-profit gym meaning that all funds generated are put back into the gym for programs and equipment. Since they moved from their old location in L’Amable to their new location in the Bancroft Legion building in Feb. 2022, they say they’ve had tremendous community support, selling over 1,600 memberships, with a monthly average of 300 to 400 memberships sold. For more information, go to their Facebook page titled Bancroft Fitness. 
Jan said they decided to have an open house now because they never officially had a grand opening after they moved into their new space earlier this year. Going from COVID-19 restrictions into a very busy summer, she says that now that things have relaxed, with summer over and getting into winter, they thought it would be a good time to host one. 
“Oftentimes, when winter hits, people just want to bundle up, stay inside with a cup of hot tea, close the curtains and wait for spring. Most do not want to go through the process of bundling up to go outside where it is cold to get exercise. However, exercise needs to be part of your life no matter what time of year it is. So, we thought now would be a great time to offer an open house where members of the community can come out, ask questions and see the space prior to joining the gym,” she says. 
During the open house, Jan says that individuals will have the opportunity to speak to staff, personal trainers, and learn about some of the classes they offer. Bancroft Fitness’ yoga instructor Ann Pettifer will be offering some sample yoga classes, with Chair Yoga starting at noon and Easy Yoga beginning at 1 p.m. Jan says that there’ll be a variety of refreshments and snacks from local businesses and it’ll be the first day that Bancroft Fitness merchandise will be for sale. 
“There will be hoodies, gym bags, toques and water bottles ready to go to some new homes. We will also have three separate draws for those who attend the open house. The prizes will be; one full year free membership [a $220 to $330 value], a complete Bancroft Fitness swag bag complete with all the Bancroft Fitness merchandise [a $150 value] or a three-month free membership [a $60 to $90 value]. We look forward to welcoming the community into our space to meet our staff, show them around and answer any questions they may have.”