Bert’s Belly Busters is a fun family bounce class, offering a full range of total body group training workouts in Walton-on-the-Naze. Set up by Roberta Meskell, her aim was to encourage movement and motivation for the whole family, which was fun and enjoyable for all.
Back in 2015, during a very difficult time in her life, Roberta realised that she needed to do something for her mental wellbeing and decided to set up a Facebook page called Happy Motivators – a space where people could help, motivate and support each other. It became apparent that getting active helped to relax and destress people, however there were no classes available for families or children aged 7-14 and Roberta wanted to change this.
Roberta stated “I’ve always struggled with English, numbers and pronunciation of words, so never thought I could pass my level two gym instructor, but I did! Bert’s Belly Busters was my chance, and I started to run classes in a hall during school time, which was aimed at mums from the local primary school who lacked confidence and couldn’t afford to go to the gym. I was lucky enough to be taken on as a rebound instructor for adults and children aged 8+ at the Clacton Leisure Centre and then started to save and invested in my own rebound equipment with the hope of running my own family classes at a price that was affordable for everyone.”
After successfully receiving a Local Delivery Pilot grant, Roberta was able to purchase a further 10 rebound trampolines that she needed for her sessions and the first set of family bounce classes were held on Friday 11th September at the YMCA hall in Walton-on-the-Naze. Due to great attendance and positive feedback, these affordable sessions are now being held fortnightly and are compliant with the current Covid-19 safety measures.
On Sunday 20th September, Bert’s Belly Busters launched an outdoor socially-distanced family bounce class, which enabled participants to have fun and get active and in the fresh air. Over six families attended, which saw both parents and children aged 8+ bounce to upbeat and motivating music.
Roberta has now built up a strong membership of 214 members, which is a huge achievement for a small town like Walton-on-the-Naze. She hopes to build on this after recently passing her Personal Trainer exams, bringing her closer to a children’s course which will enable her to work with children from the age of 5. “For me this is just the beginning, my passion keeps on growing. Bert’s Belly Busters Family Bounce is finally something we can all do together!”
