Healthy Active Ageing

Activities and sessions available:

• Growing Active - Allotment Group
• Female Fitness
• Getting Active - Gym

We are working hard to add more activities very soon. If you would like to suggest an activity please get in touch: ysjactive@yorksj.ac.uk

Growing Active

Join our free allotment group, Growing Active, for people who would like to become or remain active as they age.

When: Wednesdays, 10.00am to 12.00pm

The group will run on an open-ended basis, with the group members deciding when they would like breaks such as over winter.

Location: Haxby Road Allotments

York St John University Sports Park (directions and parking information can be found below)

The Growing Active group will be guided by members of our award-winning Grounds team at the University.

We aim to make Growing Active a relaxed, informal environment where people can engage with the allotment and spend time with others.

There are washing facilities and toilets in the York St John University Sports Park building available for use.

If you wish to have a coffee afterwards the café located in the Sports Park building across the road from the allotments may be open for this (opening times vary over the university holidays). We are working on making hot drinks possible at the allotment.

What to bring with you

• A drink
• Anything you need to ensure your comfort or safety such as medication or a snack
• Depending on the weather you may need a rain jacket, sunscreen, sun hat, or a jumper (or maybe all of them given the English weather!). If the weather is particularly bad we may have to cancel the session and we will let you know.
• Suitable footwear (boots are required if digging)
• Gardening gloves if you’d like to use your own (we will have some available).

How to join

To join the group or to discuss it further please call 01904 876 804.

When you join we will request some contact information and ask whether you have any medical conditions we need to be aware of. These are not intrusive questions, and the information will be used to help us try to ensure your comfort, safety and enjoyment whilst on the allotment.

We appreciate that there may be weeks when you can’t be present and we would be grateful, when possible, if members of the group could let us know they are unable to attend by phoning 01904 876 804 or emailing ysjactive@yorksj.ac.uk

Directions and Parking

The allotments are located across the road from our York St John University Sports Park (YO31 8TA). Directions can be accessed on the York St John University Sports Park page.

Parking is available in the Sports Park car park only. To reach the allotments please cross the road near the entrance to the Sports Park car park and Foss Park Hospital and go through the gate. The allotments are located at the end of the lane on the left-hand side. Please take care when crossing the road as vehicles can travel fast on that stretch of road.

If you are using public transport, the First York number 1 bus route stops nearby. If you are traveling from the city centre the stop is next to the allotments, opposite Foss Park Hospital. If you are traveling from New Earswick direction towards the city centre, the stop is located between the car park entrances for the Sports Park and Foss Park hospital. Both stops are called Mille Crux.

Medical Conditions

If you have any medical conditions which may impact on your participation or safety we would be grateful if you could let us know.

Having a medical condition will not usually exclude you from participating. Details of medical conditions declared will be shared amongst the Growing Active staff so we can do our best to ensure your safety and comfort. They will not be shared with anyone else and any recorded details will be stored securely.

Female Fitness

Female Fitness is a weekly gym session (starting on 18 September 2025), designed to support you with resistance training in order to promote healthy, active ageing.

Female Fitness is focused on addressing the changes that women* experience as they age, such peri and post menopause symptoms, decreases in bone density, metabolic changes and decreases in muscle mass (strength). Female Fitness aims to help women feel confident, stronger, healthier and to retain their independence through regularly participating in physical activity. We want to create a supportive, friendly and welcoming environment, that results in women feeling empowered to carry on their resistance training outside of the sessions and for years to come.

The Female Fitness sessions are flexible, meaning you can attend when it is convenient for you. There will be an instructor (Sarah) on hand to support you, and you can either follow the exercise programme for that week or exercise independently, with help if you want or need it. The sessions will run on Thursdays 10.30am to 11.45am, these times include time for demonstrating exercises and equipment, warm ups and cool downs (including stretching). The working/exercising time will be 1 hour or less. These sessions are suitable for all fitness and experience levels, and you will work at your own pace and intensity. If you have any medical conditions please complete our Female fitness medical questionnaire form (docx, 43.1 kB) and return it before your first session. These forms will be kept securely and only viewed by YSJActive staff.

If you have any questions about this or if there's is something specific you'd like to work on (such as balance) then please get in touch, Sarah Hawley at s.hawley@yorksj.ac.uk or 01904 876 804.

When: Thursdays, 10.30am to 11.45pm

Location: YSJActive Gym. Located in the Maclagan Building on the Lord Mayor's Walk campus.

*At some points in this text the terms women and female are being used to describe cis women (those who were assigned female at birth and identify as female). These sessions and our Female Only Gym sessions are open to those who self-identify as female.

Understanding Resistance Training

Resistance training is when you lift, push or pull against resistance, which could be your own body weight or exercise equipment such as dumbbells, and it has a wide range of benefits for women. These benefits include:

• Weight management: Resistance training helps the body burn body fat supporting a healthy body composition.
• Improved bone health: Impact and increased muscular strength can preserve bone mass and even increase it, reducing our risk of fractures as we age.
• Stronger connective tissue, reducing the risk of joint injuries.
• Improved flexibility, balance and proprioception (awareness of body position and movement): This can help us retain our independence and perform our daily activities with confidence.
• Better sleep and more energy.
• Prevention or improvement of conditions such as diabetes, depression, heart disease and obesity.
• Improved body image and self-esteem.
• Improved wellbeing such as lower stress levels, better mood, increased confidence.

Even with these benefits research shows that women are much less likely to participate in resistance training than men. Reasons stated for this are:

• Not knowing how to do resistance training.
• Fears of becoming muscular.
• Feeling intimidated in the gym environment, especially in the weight areas.

If it is a concern for you, please be assured that due to lower levels of testosterone it is difficult for women to become muscular and “bulk up”. You are more likely to find that you reduce your body fat, feel stronger and confident in your own skin. Female Fitness was born from a desire to help more women feel able to participate in resistance training and comfortable in a gym environment, so hopefully we can destroy those other barriers.

What to wear

Please wear comfortable clothing suitable for exercise as well as supportive, well-fitting footwear such as trainers. Please bring water and anything else you need for your safety and comfort, such as medication.

How to sign up

To sign up, please visit our class booking system.

Contact

For more information, please contact Sarah Hawley by emailing s.hawley@yorksj.ac.uk or by calling 01904 876 804.

Directions and Parking

The Gym is based in the Maclagan Building which is located on the Lord Mayor's Walk site. For more information on how to find the YSJActive Gym, please visit our campus map.

Local bus routes such as the Number 1 and 5 services stop near campus, and the Salvation Army stop on Gillygate is the closest one to the gym. Car parking is available in the City of York Council run pay and display car parks nearby, these are:

• Union Terrace car park YO31 7ES
  
• Monk Bar car park YO31 7QR
  
• Bootham Row car park YO31 7BP
  

The only parking we have available on our York campus is for blue badge holders. We require your registration plate details before you visit campus in order to add you to our permit system. You can contact estates.admin@yorksj.ac.uk yourself, or contact s.hawley@yorksj.ac.uk or call 01904 876 804.

Spaces on campus are limited. Alternative free blue badge parking can be found in the Union Terrace, Monk Bar car parks, or on Lord Mayor's Walk and Garden Street. Depending on what part of campus you are visiting these sites can often be closer than the parking bays on site.

The vehicle entrance to the campus is located on Clarence Street, please be aware that some directions may direct you to Lord Mayor’s Walk, the postcode is YO31 7EX.
For more information on how to find the University please visit our Find and contact us page.

Getting Active - Gym

Join our weekly sessions in the gym for anyone interested in healthy, active ageing and areas such as functional movement, independence, joint and bone health, strength, balance and movement confidence. Participants are welcome to exercise independently or with guidance from an instructor, and exercise suggestions or plans can be given if required. These sessions aim to be relaxed and suitable for any fitness levels and exercise experience. If you’ve never used a gym before these sessions are an opportunity for a gentle and supportive introduction to one, and only Getting Active participants and instructors will be in the gym during the sessions. You are welcome to use one of the catering facilities on campus after the session to socialise with other Getting Active participants.

When: Mondays, 10.00am to 11.30am starting from 29 September 2025. Attend during these times for as long as you wish up to 11.30am. The last admission is 11.00am.

Location: YSJActive Health Gym, Maclagan Building, Lord Mayor’s Walk, York, YO31 7EX

A campus map is available on our Campus map page. The Maclagan Building is building MB on the map, located on the old main driveway, on the right-hand side.

Cost: £4 per session. No membership or regular commitment required to attend, these sessions are open to members of the general public.

Booking is required. To book, please follow the link below:

Book now

If you have any issues with booking, please get in touch s.hawley@yorksj.ac.uk

Your first session

So we can do our best to ensure your safety, understand how we can best support you during the sessions (if you’d like us to) and prepare for sessions if required, please could you complete this form and return it before your first session: Getting Active Gym form (docx, 26.9 kB)

A large print version of the form is also available: Getting Active Gym form - larger print version (docx, 27.3 kB)

If you have any questions about the form, trouble opening it or you would like support to complete it please get in touch with Sarah at s.hawley@yorksj.ac.uk or 01904 876 804. Please feel free to complete the form electronically and email it back to Sarah.

What to bring and wear

Footwear suitable for physical activity such as trainers

• Comfortable clothing suitable for physical activity and ease of movement
• A drink of water
• A snack for after the session (if required)
• Anything else you may need to ensure your comfort or safety, such as medication

Facilities

Lockers are available for personal belongings, staff will supply keys for these, alternatively there are pigeon holes in the gym. Bags and coats must be put away please so they are not a trip hazard. Walking aids are welcome in the gym, but we ask that when not in use these are placed in a safe place so they are not a hazard.

A gender-neutral changing village with individual changing rooms, with 2 shower and changing rooms is available for gym users. There is an accessible toilet/ changing/shower room available. Gender-neutral toilets are located close to the gym.

Directions and parking

Local bus routes such as the Number 1 and 5 services stop near campus, and the Salvation Army stop on Gillygate is the closest one to the gym. Car parking is available in the City of York Council run pay and display car parks nearby, these are:

• Union Terrace car park YO31 7ES
• Monk Bar car park YO31 7QR
• Bootham Row car park YO31 7BP

The only parking we have available on our York campus is for blue badge holders. We require your registration plate details before you visit campus in order to add you to our permit system. You can contact estates.admin@yorksj.ac.uk yourself, or contact s.hawley@yorksj.ac.uk or call 01904 876 804.

Spaces on campus are limited. Alternative free blue badge parking can be found in the Union Terrace, Monk Bar car parks, or on Lord Mayor's Walk and Garden Street. Depending on what part of campus you are visiting these sites can often be closer than the parking bays on site.

The vehicle entrance to the campus is located on Clarence Street, please be aware that some directions may direct you to Lord Mayor’s Walk, the postcode is YO31 7EX.

For more information on how to find the University please visit our Find and contact us page.