For the first time since 1998 a gym is now in Broad Street and though it was no easy feat in establishing it, owner Dave Waldron believes in the possibilities of the new fitness center.
The Island Fitness Centre is now located in the heart of Bridgetown neatly positioned along the busy business stretch of Lower Broad Street opposite the taxi stand. While speaking to News on the Go Now, founder of Island Fitness Centre Dave Waldron, said that he is truly committed to improving the health and wellness of the people of Barbados.
“I am happy to be able to offer an affordable full service gym facility to the City. We have had no assistance from corporate Barbados. Banks are not lending unless the facility is fully secured by cash. So to give them 50 thousand to hold in order to borrow 50 thousand and pay them back 96 thousand all together with interest is ridiculous!”
While reflecting on the gym’s time during the pandemic he said that they almost folded like other businesses. “Covid was very hard for us. Commercial gyms were closed for over 20 months, and that was followed by a storm and then a volcano. It wasn’t easy but it feels good to be still here fulfilling my calling,” he said.
Waldron reflected on his time growing up as a working class boy with a heap of ambition but with little financial means. He said that he believes that now is the time for him to see his purpose fulfilled. “I am a little guy from the ghetto who has fought hard despite ridiculous odds to realize my dream. I have excelled at sports representing my country with little to no support, excelled in art, performed exceptionally well in every opportunity provided by the Y.E.S program, BIMAP, NIFCA and yet this was the only modality that allowed me to use the greatest percentage of my skill set.”
He added: “I was born to help guide my people to better health…as a country, our people have always been our greatest resource, remarkably intelligent and resourceful as well as tremendously genetically gifted, and it seems as though we have forgotten that,” he pointed out.
The entrepreneur and personal trainer added that he was concerned about the eating habits of locals but explained he was happy to fill the void where the need for more gyms are concerned. “Now preventable NCDs are destroying our society and decimating our quality of life. I am here to do my part by providing affordable, convenient, and functional wellness for
all from ten years to one hundred and ten years.”
The Island Fitness Centre has also partnered with the BPWCCUL to offer membership rates as low as $100 per month to all its members and staff. Special rates for all armed forces and civil servants. “These people are our lifeline and backbone and we are here to support them. We are offering special packages for all financial institutions in the area, these persons work
long hours and have rather stressful jobs. This is our capital and we are committed to making all the people from security guards to store clerks and taxi drivers to executives healthier. Perhaps this will assist with the revitalization of our city,” Waldron added.
He made the point that a healthy individual means a healthy workforce and also a healthy country. “Healthier people earn more, contribute more to society, cost less to employ and support, they are much less of a drain on the country’s resources, they rear healthier and more psychologically balanced children, they make better life choices,” he added.
The Island Fitness Centre is open for business and as Waldron said its open to new partnerships with corporate Barbados and is on a mission to close that hole where Non Communicable Diseases are concerned.
