LATEST figures show that for every £1 invested in a local gym from membership, funding or any other support, the return per user could be more than 12 times higher.
iCan, based in Lorne Street in the Denton Holme area of Carlisle, recently received the results of its annual "social return on investment" evaluation for 2018-19.
Produced by social impact evaluation firm LynchPinn Support, it found that for every £1 invested into the gym, users and the wider community could get £12.50 in social return.
Social return on investment is a way of measuring the social, environmental and economic benefits of the gym’s offering.
“The iCan Fitness team are doing a fantastic job at building women’s confidence in being more active,” said LynchPinn Support evaluator Nicola Lynch in her report.
“The benefits to the individual’s physical and mental health are clear, but it is also fascinating to hear through interviews how these effects ‘spin out’ and positively impact friends, families and the wider community.”
The report also found 98 per cent of new and existing members said they enjoyed being physically active during trips to iCan.
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