Olympian Sharron Davies joins with Paragon Structures for a new generation of health and fitness spaces
The Olympian, Sharron Davies, has joined forces with Paragon Structures to bring affordable, accessible and sustainable sports and leisure facilities to communities across the UK to make a real difference to the nation’s mental and physical health.
Passionate about health and fitness, the former Olympic swimmer says environmentally friendly and fit-for-purpose sports and recreation facilities are key to tackling the rising levels of obesity and inactivity in the UK.
“It’s no coincidence that the countries with the highest death rates from the coronavirus are those with the highest obesity levels. It’s time to get to grips with this once and for all. I’m a firm believer that prevention is better than cure. We can’t keep closing our leisure centres, swimming pools and recreation spaces and not expect it to impact the health and fitness of the public.”
Becoming an ambassador and shareholder in Paragon Structures, specialist providers of insulated tensioned membrane buildings, marks a turning point in Sharron’s career. Occupying a unique position in British life, Sharron has been one of the UK’s best known and most popular sportswomen since bursting onto the scene as a 13 year old Olympian in 1976. More than 40 years later she is still a popular television personality, public speaker and sports commentator and has attended 12 Olympic Games. A qualified personal trainer, Sharron is also launching a fitness app in the New Year to help people exercise at home.
“I love what I do, but I now want to be involved in something that has more impact and leaves a lasting legacy. And I can’t think of anything more important than helping to get people more active and healthy,” she says.
Sharron says she wants to work with local authorities, schools and sports clubs, colleges and universities to open their eyes to the benefits of modern buildings so they can more easily develop the multi-purpose facilities the UK so desperately needs.
“It’s time to think differently about how we build health and fitness spaces. Great facilities don’t have to take two years to construct and they don’t need to be so expensive. Modern tensioned membrane structures like those from Paragon are both beautiful and fantastic quality. We can significantly reduce the total build programme and they are up to 40 per cent cheaper too. They’ve proved very successful in the US, Canada and Europe, so it’s time we benefited from them here in the UK.”
Swim England’s recent report A Decade of Decline: The Future of Swimming Pools in England warned that almost 2,000 swimming pools could be lost by the end of the decade unless urgent steps are taken. The national governing body named Paragon as a solution partner to the swimming pool crisis after working with the company to develop a concept design for a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly pool facility.
“Our stock of swimming pools and leisure centres are at the end of their working lives. Local authorities are looking to replace these facilities as quickly and cost-effectively as possible, while meeting their sustainability targets. All that is possible with modern tensioned membrane structures. Investing in these facilities is investing in the physical and mental wellbeing of society. And if we do that we can ensure that people live longer, happier and more independent lives, saving us all money in the long term,” says Sharron.
Alan Phillips, Chief Executive Officer of Paragon Structures, says: “We are delighted to be working with Sharron. You really couldn’t get anyone more passionate and enthusiastic about improving the nation’s health and fitness. Paragon Structures was born out of a desire to have a direct impact on health and physical activity by building affordable, yet state of the art facilities. Sharron shares that vision and with her help we hope to bring the benefits of modern, multi-purpose sport and recreation spaces to more communities in the UK.”
