Active Health
If you have a medical condition that will benefit from physical activity, our Active Health scheme offers the support you need to improve your health and wellbeing, using a range of fantastic facilities at our leisure centres.
Your NHS health professional may feel that physical activity could help with your physical or mental health and well being.
A referral will give you access to our Active Health scheme, where you will have the support and advice of our dedicated specialist instructors. They will promote healthy lifestyle changes and prescribe safe and effective physical activity.
You can be referred by a GP, nurse, physiotherapist, social prescriber, health and wellbeing coach, or other health professional.
Eligibility
You can be referred by your GP or a health professional and must be:
- aged 14 years and over
- committed to making a long-term lifestyle change
- clinically stable and compliant with your medication
- have an existing health condition, recovering from an operation or other risk factors for disease, such as:
- coronary heart disease
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
- arthritis
- osteoarthritis
- osteoporosis
- asthma
- COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
- long covid
- diabetes
- mental health issues
- obesity
Supervised sessions
This includes:
- a free assessment
- an induction, which costs £13.50
- a follow-up appointment
First 12 weeks
£5.80 per gym session, or half price three month Wellness Anytime Membership for £78 (discount only applies to new members and can only be used once per person).
After 12 weeks
For membership options, please speak to your designated instructor.
You can only attend via a referral from your GP or health professional.
A member of the Active Health team will contact you to book your assessment. We aim to contact you within seven days of your referral.
If you haven't been contacted in that time, you can call your designated centre on:
- 01245 615077 for Riverside
- 01245 605812 for CSAC
- 01245 605600 for SWFLC
You can also view general information about using the:
This service is not available at Dovedale.
Our current Active Health members talk about the benefits of the scheme and how it has helped them.
“I cannot recommend Active Health enough. I joined primarily to work on my mental health and have seen so many benefits - I love to get lost in a workout - but it's also been really gratifying to feel myself get physically stronger. The instructors have been passionate, knowledgeable, empathetic and have challenged me at exactly the right level.”
Liz
"I was at a low point in my life, when the GP suggested I try the Active Health programme at my local gym. My body was screaming NO, but I listened to my head and took the GP’s advice; I had nothing to lose, I told myself. This was the best decision I had taken in my life, and quite frankly it has given me a life once again.”
Mark
"Creating a program felt like a collaboration, rather than being told "these are the exercises that are good for you, and there should be no deviation from the plan." "
Adam
“I was introduced to Active Health via my doctor due to being pre-diabetic, and although I made a big change to my lifestyle through diet and drinking, I wanted to give this a try. Whilst I had reservations as had never used a gym before, I couldn't have been more wrong about it. All the staff are knowledgeable and helpful and very understanding to your needs. Having had life changing surgery in 2018 they tailored my exercise to suit my health conditions, and made me feel totally at ease and comfortable.”
Jeff
Scheme membership options for current monthly members
If you are a monthly members, you can access the scheme, but will continue with your current direct debit and current membership. You will need to pay the induction price, even if you have had an induction previously, as you are accessing a different health and fitness service.
Centre and facility access is per the terms of your current membership i.e., site and time specific.
Scheme membership options for new member/ current PAYG member
You have 30 days from the date of your last supervised appointment to make a membership decision.
You can only choose one of the following membership options for the entire 12-week scheme:
- Active Health PAYG member. All other activities pricing set at standard Plus Discounted rate
- Half price three-month Wellness Anytime Membership
However, this does not apply if you have previously used the half price three-month Wellness Anytime Membership, or have been a monthly member within the last three months. Standard membership fees apply.
Freezing you membership
If you are a current monthly member, the freezing process outlined in the terms of your of standard membership will apply.
If you are on the half price three-month Wellness Anytime Membership, or are an Active Health PAYG member, you need to give five days’ notice in writing to freeze your membership.
You need to email riverside@chelmsford.gov.uk with the subject “Active Health Membership Freeze”.
We usually complete the freezing process within five working days.
The minimum freeze duration is 30 days, and the maximum freeze duration is three months. No medical proof is required to freeze this type of membership.
We do not back date freeze requests.
Post-scheme membership options
You must undergo a reassessment after your 12-week programme to successful graduate from the scheme.
If you are a current monthly member, you will continue on your current membership and are not entitled to a discounted membership (unless you meet the discount rate criteria).
If you are on the half price three-month Wellness Anytime Membership, or are an Active Health PAYG member, you are eligible for:
- a discounted rate on any single person Monthly Membership, as long as the start date is within 30 days of 12-week scheme expiry
- a Plus Discounted PAYG membership,as long as the start date is within 30 days of 12-week scheme expiry. Standard Plus annual charge applies.
- Lite Discounted PAYG membership. Your account will remain on this option by default, unless you choose and pay for one of the other options within 30 days of 12-week scheme expiry
