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Introducing Liam Rushmer, founder of Fitness Rush

A near fatal accident in 2007 was the start of Liam Rushmer’s journey to becoming an award-winning social entrepreneur.

Written by

Nicola Curtis

External Affairs Lead

A courier driver at the time, Liam was resting in his van when he noticed a lorry hurtling towards him in his rear view mirror - a moment later and he was rolling across the road and into a ditch. It would have been easy to let such a traumatising incident exacerbate the unhealthy lifestyle he had then but instead, Liam turned to fitness, using the discipline and routine of healthy exercise to help heal his injuries.

This passion continued to flourish, and he opened his own gym in 2015. Unfortunately, tragedy struck again when Liam lost his father, grandfather and best friend within months of each other causing his mental health to nosedive. Fitness helped him cope with his anxiety but he found it overwhelming working in a gym environment that could get too loud with the banging and clanking of weights. He began to realise that many other people were missing out on physical activity and exercise because they didn’t want to attend environments that might be overstimulating.

To solve this problem Liam created Fitness Rush Mobile, a fitness facility on wheels that provides workout sessions with personal training and bespoke exercise equipment as well as the opportunity to work towards health and fitness qualifications. By making the facility mobile he could host quiet outdoor sessions with small, informal groups - taking away some of the pressures of working out in a traditional gym environment. One of his core motivations in setting up the enterprise was to “make sure that exercise is accessible to everyone no matter their barrier.”

As well as anxiety, Liam has helped people overcome a range of issues, from addiction and homelessness to abuse and isolation. Everyone is welcome and part of what keeps people coming back is the community that has grown up around Fitness Rush. As Liam says, “each person has their own story and the opportunity to start an amazon journey of positive change with us, so never really leave after completing their initial programmes! To be honest, our initiatives create a family.”

Catherine McFadzean experienced alcoholism, drug addiction and homelessness and stumbled upon Fitness Rush just two days into her sobriety journey as she was beginning to take small steps to recovery. The positive, welcoming community of Liam’s venture gave her the motivation to make small changes, such as getting up early, leaving the house, and exercising regularly which started to make substantial changes to her life and self-confidence.

After seeing potential in Catherine during her Level 1 Healthy Active Living qualification, Liam personally funded her Level 3 diploma in personal training and she now stands confidently alongside him as a fully-qualified fitness professional, enjoying the work she does while using her lived experience to help others.

“Fitness Rush has impacted my life greatly, it’s the best thing that could have happened for me and I don’t know where I would be without Fitness Rush. I don’t think I would be sober, I don’t think I would be getting up early in the mornings, I don’t think I would be healthy or happy. I feel privileged and proud that I am now helping others and continuing to help myself.”

And it’s not just Catherine whose life has been transformed by Fitness Rush. During group sessions, unlikely bonds are formed between people from backgrounds that are worlds apart. Liam’s commitment to making his enterprise inclusive is paramount, as he explains: “We say from cradle to grave - the oldest person we've worked with is 98, and the youngest we’ve worked with is two at wellbeing events."

Through the Movement for Change programme, in partnership with Sport England, UnLtd has been able to support Liam in reaching as many lives as possible. With funding Fitness Rush has been able to expand, with an active push to invest in and upskill ex-offenders and financially deprived individuals to achieve Level 3 personal training diplomas. The advice and mentoring that Liam has received has also helped him work towards financial sustainability, think about how the business can develop and discover opportunities in his area that help him to do what he does best.

Liam and Catherine work tirelessly to reach as many people as possible, with first-hand knowledge about the difference they are able to make. They both have big plans for the future, for how the enterprise and everyone it touches can grow.

Liam says: “I want exercise to be accessible to everyone, no matter the barrier. That's our vision, and that's what I'm striving towards.”

If you would like to apply for a Movement for Change Award please visit Movement for Change | UnLtd