Meet the Mytime Active team!

09 September 2024

Diane Friday, the Healthy Lifestyles Programme Manager, has been with Mytime Active since its inception. As we celebrate Mytime Active’s 20th anniversary, Diane reflects on her long career with the charitable leisure trust and shares why she is so passionate about engaging with the community to help them live healthier lives.

Diane says: "Our mission is to educate the community about the benefits of physical activity and lifestyle changes. This can be demonstrated through one of our specialist funded exercise on referral programmes, Fresh Start, where we deliver 12 sessions designed to support people recovering from illness, injury or living with a long-term health condition to be physically active, enabling them to transition through into our regular services. These sessions empower participants to feel comfortable and confident coming to the gym on their own, knowing what type of activity will benefit their condition. Whilst our goal is to help people self-manage, we also provide long-term health programmes for those who need ongoing support.

“Working at Mytime Active is rewarding, people come to us for the team's knowledge, support and empathy. We genuinely care about their lives and helping them improve. That's the key. I still get to cover some of our sessions, and it's incredibly fulfilling to see people who joined our Fresh Start programme many years ago who are still active members today.”

Diane remains deeply passionate about the impact exercise can have on a person's overall wellbeing, and she explains this is one of the reasons for her career’s longevity.

Diane explains: “My first role in leisure was as a Level Two gym instructor at the Spa at Beckenham. It was there I learned about the health programmes Mytime Active were delivering. Straight away I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to teach people how exercise could help improve their condition and help them live more independently for longer. Many things we take for granted are difficult for some people because they are in pain or worried that exercise could make their condition worse.

“I started by helping out on the Fresh Start programme and earned my Level Three GP referral qualification. This led me to move across and join the health team, where I completed Level Four cardiac rehabilitation training for our Heart Smart initiative. I have been fortunate to benefit from many funded learning opportunities Mytime Active provide for its staff. I’ve since gained the skills to deliver NHS Health Checks and our ESCAPE-Pain programme. I’ve grown with the company, eventually becoming the programme coordinator and, eight years ago, the programme manager.

“I'm proud of how the team has consistently delivered quality services. We have also gone on to develop condition-specific classes, like those for people who have had a stroke or have neurological conditions, including Tai Chi, functional movement and water wellbeing sessions for those with chronic pain and reduced mobility - each tailored to meet their needs.

“Now, with the opening of the One Bromley Wellbeing Hub in The Glades shopping centre, I'm proud that our lifestyle advisors are meeting the community where they are and are on hand to offer free advice on the Vital 5 – healthy blood pressure, healthy weight, safe drinking, mental health and stopping smoking. These five key areas are vital to our long term health and wellbeing, which can be improved with the right signposting and support.”