IT it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – that’s been the secret to success of a keep fit class that has been running in Barnard Castle for half a century.
The weekly session has been held at the same time, on the same night, at the same venue, in the same format and run by the same man – Tom Norton – for 50 years.
The class came about as a result of the then teenage Tom’s training requirements as a sprinter.
“In 1973, I joined Glaxo. I was competing as a sprinter and needed somewhere to train, so started using the hall at Glaxo Sports and Social Club,” he said.
“In January 1974, people started asking if they could come and join me, so I started the section in the club.”
Initially, the club ran 52-weeks of the year but as Tom got older and stopped competing, he decided to organise the keep fit sessions for 24 weeks during the winter, meeting at Glaxo club at 6.30pm on a Thursday night.
He said the sessions are based on a work-out used by the armed forces to concentrate on heart and lung fitness.
“It is based on 20 exercises and you work for 30 seconds and rest for 30 seconds. We do a warm up beforehand and a bit of a warm down,” he explained.
Those taking part do so at their own pace and that regime has remained the same for the past half a century.
Numbers fluctuate, but average between 20 and 30 people of all ages.
Tom celebrates his 70th birthday this year and says he plans to continue running the class. In the meantime, a celebration is planned to mark 50 years of keeping fit.
It will take place at Glaxo Sports and Social Club on Thursday, March 28, at 8pm, with entertainment provided by Luke Jordan.
Tom said any former members of the class who would like to come along for a drink would be particularly welcome.
