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ABOUT CLAIRE & JON

Hello - We are Claire, Jon and Frankie and Better Bodies UK is our business and passion. Thank you for visiting our site, and we hope that our experience and knowledge will be able to help you achieve your goals. 

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We have a great passion for supporting others to achieve and want to pass on our skills and education to individual and corporate clients.  Our ethos isn't to just tell you what to do, we will teach you what, how and why to give you the power of being in control of your own journey.

More about Claire

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Claire’s professional career began in the Close Protection Industry and moved from there into the Prison Service where she spent 16 years as a specialist PE officer and teacher. Claire taught a variety of different sports recreationally but her main passion was teaching prisoners to become personal trainers and helping them gain employment on release. During her prison service career Claire supported development and delivery of stress awareness packages and trained in the role of Family Liaison Officer and Suicide/Self-harm response.

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After her career in the prison service Claire has used her skills and qualifications in both mental and physical health and continues to support unemployed learners into work and corporate companies into offering their employees a better working environment.

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Claire is a survivor of childhood and adult abuse and uses her experiences and life to help support others to find a positive and self-fulfilling path. As a trained crisis counsellor she aims to help others reach their full potential no matter how difficult the journey.

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More about Jon

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Jon is a Workington lad born and bred, he left Cumbria after leaving school at 16 to serve in HM Forces with the Royal Engineers. Having served 7 years and completing operational tours of Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq he returned to Cumbria and has been working locally at Fellside power station as an Electrical Coordinator. 

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Whilst you may not often see Jon in the foreground of Better Bodies UK, like his personality he works hard in the background to keep the day to day running of the centre and finances going in addition to being chief travel coordinator.

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He is actively involved in the Veterans community and is a member of the West Cumberland branch of the Royal Engineers Association. 

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Voluntary/Charity Work

Claire is a very proud Community First Responder in Workington. During her spare time she can often be seen on call and attending incidents in the surrounding area to support the community before the Ambulance Crews arrive.

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Throughout her career Claire has supported the NSPCC and a local Doncaster Cancer Charity, The Eve Merton Dreams Trust by raising money through Fitness activities. These activities have included cycling from Lands End to John O Groats on Spin Bikes to completing 8 Marathons in 6 Days. In 2012 and 2015. She has been runner up for the community award at the National Fitness Awards and in 2014 was fortunate to win this prestigious award. 

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Jon is constantly looking for ways to raise money for charity, especially veterans organisations which are close to his heart. Over the last couple of years he has completed two high profile events for ABF the soldiers charity which has raised over £5000 as a team. In 2016 Jon completed the Cateran Yomp alongside a team of fellow Engineer veterans, a gruelling event over 54 miles of the Perthshire hills.

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In 2018 Jon completed the Frontline walk for the same charity, covering 100km of the WW1 western front in France and Belgium. 

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More about Frankie

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Frankie joined Better Bodies UK in April 2019 as a small puppy.  He took to the role of a therapy dog like a dog to water and over the years both his training and natural personality has brought joy to not only the learners but also organisations that he makes regular trips to.  There are times when 'mum and dad' feel that he is a bigger part of Better Bodies UK than they are.  Therapy dogs are not a unique thing but Frankie is definitely a unique version.  There have been many occasions with either learners that aren't engaged or feeling sad that Frankie has brightened their day.  As he walks into a room you can almost feel the Oxytocin rush from those that see and play with him.  We are sure some would say that Frankie makes Better Bodies UK.

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Qualifications

Claire has more than 20 years' experience in teaching assessing and supporting learners.  During that time she has gained more than 60 qualifications and accreditations spanning mental health instruction, teaching and skills, quality assurance to physical health and wellbeing, sports and fitness training and coaching.

Sport 

Fitness 

Teaching & Assessing 

  • Basketball Referee

  • Basketball Coach

  • Volleyball Referee

  • Volleyball Coach

  • Badminton Coach

  • Football Coach

  • Football Referee

  • L2 Gym Instructor

  • L3 Personal Trainer

  • L3 Nutritional Advisor

  • L2 Circuit Instructor

  • BWLA Instructor

  • Zumba Basic 1 & 2

  • Zumbatronic

  • Studio Cycling

  • Core Conditioning

  • Step Aerobics

  • Exercise to Music

  • Strength & Conditioning

  • Diploma in Studio Classes

  • Strong by Zumba

  • HIIT Step Instructor

  • OCN Teacher/Assessor

  • Community Sports Leader Teacher/Assessor

  • L2 Supporting Basic Skills Learning

  • PTTLLS

  • Certificate in Education

  • A1 Assessors

  • TAP Trainer

  • Manual Handling Instructors

  • First Aid at Work Instructors

  • Paediatric First Aid Instructors

  • Safeguarding Instructor

  • Good Nutrition Instructor

  • First Aid Risk Assessment Instructor

  • First Aid for Mental Health Instructor

  • Youth First Aid for Mental Health Instructor

  • L4 Information and Guidance

  • L4 Award in the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice

  • L4 Award in understanding the External Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice

Health & Wellbeing

  • L2 Treatment of Injuries

  • L3 Treatment of Injuries

  • L3 GP Exercise Referral

  • L4 Specialist Lower Back

  • CVD Health Checks

  • L2 Drug Awareness

  • L2 Awareness in Mental Health

  • L2 Certificate in Dementia Care

  • L2 Certificate in Safe administration of medicines

  • L2 Customer Service in Adult Social Care

  • L3 Sports Massage

  • Sports Electrotherapy

  • L4 Phase IV Cardiac Rehab

  • L3 Manual Handling

  • L3 First Aid at Work

  • Diploma in Hot/Cold Stone Massage

  • Diploma in Indian Head Massage

  • SHU Wellness & Motivational Interviewing

  • Supervisor for First Aid for Mental Health

  • FREC3

  • FREC4

  • NHS Health Checks 

  • L4 Counselling and CBT Diploma

  • Managing of Occupational Safety and Health

  • L3 Certificate in Supervising Food Safety

  • L4 Exercise for Mental Health

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