Published: 10 May 2017 | Last Updated: 10 Aug 2023 15:42:02

The Royal Veterinary College’s (RVC) new Sports and Wellbeing Centre, at its Hawkshead Campus in Hertfordshire, will be opened on 10 May.

The facility will be a mix of the old and the new where traditional features of a regular gym will be found alongside new equipment and concepts – including a 9-metre climbing wall, as well as an impressive sports hall; dance/aerobics Studio; and a state-of-the-art fitness room.

The RVC will also be running inter-departmental competitions, such as netball leagues and tennis knockouts. These will give students and staff enhanced opportunities to socialise together while maintaining a healthy balance to their professional, personal and physical wellbeing.

Because exercise is known to reduce stress and anxiety levels regardless of an individual’s prior fitness, the Centre has been designed to appeal to a range of individuals, including those who are not currently attracted to the traditional range of activities associated with sports centres and gymnasiums. This has been achieved by providing a wide range of activities that will stimulate interest, challenge the user and still be ‘fun to try’. Wellbeing is at the heart of what the RVC does and the activities and equipment reflect this. For example, the Batak board, a light reaction fitness machine, will stimulate the mind as well as the body.

The Centre will also host a range of non-competitive activities such as health walks, music therapy, and dance. It will also provide complimentary health treatments ranging from sports therapy and massage through to holistic treatments such as Indian head massages and Reiki.

A recent study conducted by the RVC of 690 veterinarians and RVC students found:

• 89 per cent of respondents felt that exercise helps to manage their stress levels;
• 84 per cent of respondents feel that they do not do as much exercise as they would like to; and
• 90 per cent of respondents aim to do more exercise

These results support the Centre’s aims to encourage higher levels of physical activity and enable the RVC’s staff and students to reach their aim of undertaking more exercise. Professor David Church, Vice-Principal for Learning and Student Experience at the RVC, said: “At the Royal Veterinary College, we recognise the importance of physical exercise in psychological and physical wellbeing. The Sports and Wellbeing Centre will be a safe, welcoming, professional and ‘accessible to all’ facility which will help us promote activities, events and competitions which support the physical and mental wellbeing of the whole Royal Veterinary College community.”

Press Office Contact

Uche Graves / Zoe Chadwick
T: 0800 368 9520
E: uche.graves@plmr.co.uk / zoe.chadwick@plmr.co.uk

Notes to Editors

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is the UK's largest and longest established independent veterinary school and is a constituent College of the University of London. The RVC offers undergraduate, postgraduate and CPD programmes in veterinary medicine, veterinary nursing and biological sciences, being ranked in the top 10 universities nationally for biosciences degrees.  It is currently the only veterinary school in the world to hold full accreditation from AVMA, EAEVE, RCVS and AVBC.

A research-led institution, in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF2014) the RVC maintained its position as the top HEFCE funded veterinary focused research institution.

The RVC also provides animal owners and the veterinary profession with access to expert veterinary care and advice through its teaching hospitals; the Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital in central London, the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals (Europe's largest small animal referral centre), the Equine Referral Hospital, and the Farm Animal Clinical Centre located at the Hertfordshire campus.

RVC Press Release 10 May 2017

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