Double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes’ mentoring initiative ‘On Camp with Kelly’ has signed an association agreement with Village Hotels to enable OCWK athletes and coaches to benefit from access to their excellent gym facilities and swimming pools and accommodation for athletics events.

All 56 ‘On Camp with Kelly’ athletes and their coaches have been issued with membership cards for the state-of-the-art health and fitness clubs at Village Hotels across the country and these also entitle them to discounts on food and accommodation.  One athlete who benefited greatly while recovering from injury was World Junior 1500m bronze medallist Emma Pallant who regularly cross trained with her coach Mick Woods at the Village Hotel in Farnborough.

Emma said: “The free membership of the Village Hotel health and fitness clubs has made a massive difference to me.  When coming back from injury I had to carry out a lot of cross training and having access to the facilities at Village Farnborough was crucial to help me do that.”

OCWK athletes, their coaches and their next of kin are also able to benefit from reduced price accommodation at local Village Hotels for some athletics events they are competing in.

In addition to the above, complimentary or reduced price accommodation will be offered for athletes, coaches and staff attending ‘On Camp with Kelly’ events.  The initiative has already benefitted from this when the group was able to stay at the brand new Village Hotel Solihull on its opening weekend ahead of the recent ‘Eat for Success’ Get-Together in Birmingham last October.

Dame Kelly said: “I am delighted for ‘On Camp with Kelly’ to have this association with Village Hotels.  Gym membership fees can be very high and for athletes to be able to access the state-of-the-art Village facilities free of charge is of huge benefit to them, particularly when recovering from injury.  Accommodation before events means that the athletes will not have the stress of making a long journey on the day of the event and will be more rested and ready to perform in races.”

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