- Nuffield Fitness & Wellbeing Centre
- Simpson Way
- Surbiton
- KT6 4ER
- UK
- www.nuffieldhealth.com
- 0845 241 3897
Nuffield Fitness & Wellbeing Centre
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Comments
Dear all Nuffield members,
We have recently moved from Bristol to Surbiton.
My 3 year old son and I enjoy swimming and have been looking for somewhere to swim locally.
We have been to visit Nuffield but we can't justify paying the full membership fees when we would only be using the pool once a week. I have called them to ask if we could pay to use the only the pool but they can only offer us off peek membership.
This is a very cheeky question but would any of you like to offer us your membership card at a time you wont be using it so that we could go swimming? I realize this is a long shot but it's worth a try.
My email address is tessais@hotmail.com
Thank you so much
Are you taking the p*ss?!!!! Jog on back to Bristol you cheapskate.
OK I think she gets the point now! So moral police please step back!
While i'm here does anybody mind if i borrow their wife, it would only be for a few hours while you're at work :)
This is nothing else but FRAUD!
If you want to take your son swimming, why not go to the Kingsfisher in Kingston or the Malden Centre in New Malden.
This is an e-mail I use for spam it’s not linked to addresses or bank accounts so I’m not so worried thanks though. I am not a criminal - I just would like to take my son swimming. I do not see any moral implications in using someone’s card while they are not. But I understand, and as I said it was a long shot.
It is not really a moral issue, more the fact the the centre would have to close if everyone used someone else's card!
This highlights the lack of decent swimming facilities in the area. The pool in New Malden is too far away. The Kingfisher is ok, but is too dominated by kids for adults who want to have a proper swim. The Hampton open air pool is good in the summer, but again quite a journey for those that do not have a car.
Perhaps a pool could be built into the plans for the filter bed sites, but at the very least I would expect the council to insist on some public access to any future private gym complexes that apply to open here.
You can swim for free in the filter beds now if you fancy it.
I notice you are from Bristol,please be aware that this close to London providing an email and your name on an open site like this is very foolhardy,let alone to suggest fraudulent entry to a health centre.
Best to remove your details before your inbox is awash with spam.
Definitely don't do this - you have to swipe your card on access and I'd imagine its an immediate ban for the member who gave their card over - that and it is a bit cheeky - would not hand over my card as a paying member - sorry!
I'd suggest not doing this if I were you. I used to be a member when it was Cannons, and they did not check membership cards very often, but they did occasionally. I guess both the person who lends the card and the person borrowing it would get into a bit of trouble if caught.
I love the place - I use it 5 times a week so maybe a bit biased but the team and gym are great. Mike done my programme and his was very knowlegeable and always takes the time to say Hi and see how I'm doing.
I joined about 6 months ago and love the place. Home away from home - loving all the new kit but still learning!!
Hi All,
I was looking at joining a gym in surbiton and Nuffield seems to be the closest one. Dont fancy the YMCA due to the shady looking group of people loitering outside the gym.
Are there any other clubs in surbiton, and are they any good?
Really i want a nice clean club that will look after me,
Davina
I'm looking to take some Aqua aerobics classes at Nuffield. Does Nuffield offer such classes?
I'm a slightly larger lady and heard there is a gentleman there (who wears a Chelsea top) that does Aqua classes. Does anyone know him or recommend him? Does anyone know who he is?
Any advice greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Barbara.
They run a class called aqua every other day:
"A fitness class in the pool where the resistance of the water makes the calorie burning and muscle toning exercises highly effective as well as supporting some of the body weight minimising impact and reducing stress on the joints."
As for the guy in the Chelsea top i have only seen one such person who's in his 40s always wearing the the Chelsea top but that's in the cardio / gym area.
You cant go far wrong with Nuffield's, I joined back in February and haven't looked back since.
Regardless of all the negative comments on here I have yet to find fault, they are friendly, very well equipped and are always maintaining a high standard of service to their members and premises.
I know there have been comments about kids but I go early morning and early evening and have not seen any yet.(But maybe there are during the day)
I will not pass judgement on some of the other gyms in the area but I would urge you to at least go for their many open days and try it out (You even get 10 days to change your mind after you sign)
They may be a little more pricey than others but I go five times a week and it fully justifies the cost plus the bonus of it only being a ten minute walk away.
Hi Andy,
Thats brilliant thankyou.
5 times a day!!! How do you find the time?
I went to two of the gyms in kingston and wasnt impressed, the staff were friendly enough but i think that was more of a sales thing. They were both packed at the times i would be using them straight after work and didnt offer any help other than doing you a exercise program and then leaving you to it.
I will be going to nuffield at the weekend to see for myself.
No Problems Davina,
5 times a week that is, id be out for the count if it was 5 times a day!(And probably have far to much spare time on my hands)
I use the gym facilities three times a week in the morning before work and do the yoga class twice a week in the evenings.
Just a note when you do visit, the sales lady is very friendly but don't let this put you off, they are fairly relaxed but at the end of the day you make your own mind up and there was never any pressure when I spoke with her.
Like I mentioned earlier it might be best to go for a trial first and then speak with them as then you can get any of your questions answered that may arise.
They do have personal trainers but these cost extra as you'd expect.
Good luck and enjoy!
I've been a member of Cannons and Nuffield in Surbiton for two years now. The reception service was absolutely awful (poor knowledge of facilities, uninterested bored looking staff etc) but has now improved.
However I am totally bemused by the fact that Nuffield Health permit smoking on their premises -albeit outside but in the entrance to the club! They saw fit to place a great big ashtray at the entrance so now you occasionaly (getting more frequent now) people puffing away at the entrance. Twenty feet away there's a collection box for cancer charity. Totally bizzare!
Nuffield Health hospitals have complete no smoking policy anywhere on their premises- car park, sheds building etc. You are not permitted to smoke anywhere there. So why does an organisation with promoting 'health' allow smoking at their health and wellbeing club? And why has the management in surbition seen fit to place an ashtray at the entrance????? I've had to wade through a wall of smoke numerous times, a few of those times with my children who along with me have had to inhale secondary smoke!
Some a few of the posters don't seem to realise is that the PTs don't get paid by nuffield, in fact they pay a rent to be there, just like every other gym in the country. It isn't there job to pick things up, or give free help. Nobody works for free, if you want help, pay for it, just like in any other walk of life.
I am a member of Nuffield and mainly use free weights. I don't know what the 'complete an utter neandathols' comment is made about as its the friendliest weights room I ever trained in - respectful members who put their weights away and don't groan on every rep.
Good luck to the person who went to the YMCA, absolute dive and you walk past the dregs of Kingston society on the way in ...
I joined Nuffield in Sept last year and am very impressed. The best weights/cardio facilities around - toured Collets before which is falling apart!
Furthermore, through December they introduced GP's, physiotherapists and physiologists into the Club - to have that level of invest in recession is admirable and probably only possible in this industry as they are a not for profit organisation.
I've just joined here after moving to the area - absolutely love the place - such a beautiful building. Staff expert and professional and all incredibly friendly - 5 starts minimum!!
Not sure why people bother with personal training. Most personal trainers seem to follow fashions and trends of the 'best' exercises to do, and the 'best' eays to train. In my experience, get shown how to use a gym, read the 1000's of articles out there on the web, read magazines, and then get out there and do it yourself. I would agree in terms of; my experience of a number of gyms, and countless personal trainers, is that most are not that bothered about pushing clients, not that bothered about their job, not particularly knowledgeable and train clients according to what fad or fashion they've been taught on their course.
In terms of the standard of Nuffield Surbiton - I will say that I now train there SPECIFICALLY because of the POOR standard of Fitness First. If you want shoddy gym management, take a look at Fitness First. Over-run with clients due to the Fitness First Staff members being given ridiculous/thoughtless sales targets, poor poor machines, no customer service.
I've found Nuffield to be EXCELLENT so far. Never waited for equipment. Most of the staff are very friendly. Girl this moring was quiet, maybe not moody. Called out thanks on my way out, so I doubt she's moody. Very impressed so far..........
I am a personal trainer and i would agree there are lots of trainers out there who really aren't qualified enough to be advising their clients about lifestyle, posture and health etc. Infact personal trainer courses can be completed in a few weeks, or by correspondence in a lot of cases. However a good trainer can devise a training program that is safe, progressive and will help their clients to achieve goals more quickly that otherwise possible. Furher more specific exercises can help to improve postural imbalances which otherwise would be overlooked. Most importantly the majority of clients use a PT for motivation during their session, and as a reason to attend the gym as opposed to sitting down watching TV in the evening. Everytime i use the gym i see other users performing exercises with incorrect and often dangerous technique (probably after getting ideas from mens health). Its not for everyone but most people can benefit from personal training.
This Centre is 5 stars for me all the way - excellent facilities, very friendly staff and great atmosphere!!
Wow I too am really surprised at any negative feedback for Nuffield Health. I became a member a year ago and have been treated really well since I joined. The service is worthy of a 5 star Club and the facilities match this rating. Maybe I was lucky but as soon as I joined I started personal training and can now understand why I had so many wasted gym sessions in the past. I lost 2 stone for my wedding in February and will never leave. Since Nuffield took over I now get free towels and also had one of the health assesments free also (mind you I will not thank them for some of the results but I suppose thats my fault ;-) Maybe I was lucky but all the staff are really friendly everytime I go in there?? Contrary to the comment earlier I would love to give more than 5 stars but cannot - shame really as they deserve it!
The reason why you are getting treated well as I am assuming (correct me if I am wrong) that you are paying for PT lessons? If you are then the PT will give you all the attention in the world as ultimately its in their interest to keep you motivated as more PT session means more payment for them-rightly so. However it doesn't mean that non paying PT members should be treated any different. Congrats on losing 2 stone.
The PT's do need to address a lot of the etiquette that certain number of members treat the machines and weights. However they don't, as they appear not to be bothered-I mean a cracked mirror by dropped freeweight didn't seem to make any difference.
It does have potential, but a serious overhaul of perhaps management and PT's needs to be addressed. It wouldn't take that much to improve the place, but some staff clearly are living in their own solar systems and can't see outside of it.
I am so suprised at the number of negative feedback i have read about Nuffield taking over Cannons, i completely disagree!! I have been a memebr there for 5 years now and I love the surbiton club, the facilities are brilliant, the team are always welcoming and do their best to solve any query i have. I like the new vi1 health assessment that i had, it flagged up that i had a high glucose levels and they referred to go see my gp which i am very thankful for as i have now changed my diet to prevent me getting diabetes in the future. The gym team have written me personal programmes which have helped me loose weight and tone up ready for the summer!! The only negative thing can say is that at times there is not always a gym instructor around for me to talk to because they are busy with other members.
Been at Nuffield Surbiton for 3 months now and I have to say its possibly one of the worst gyms I have ever used. You very rarely see anyone on reception, if you do they are hard pushed to say hello. You have to let yourself in-what's that all about? You have to sometimes lean over the counter when the staff are in back clearly talking away to grab a towel.
You very rarely see any instructors and if you do they are not interested at all and spend a lot of their time in the little cubby hole behind the flat screens. They do "parade laps" around the gym and not much else. Their are plenty of people who are doing some seriously dodgy exercises, yet no PT try to correct them. The freeweights are is overrun with complete an utter neandathols who insist on dropping weights and showing how "manly" they are. Weights are scattered all over the place. I have complained numerous times, but nothing gets done.
Generally I despise the place but being a Pru Health member I have no choice. This isn't worthy of one star, but I have too, to post this.
I completly agree with you! Never seen something like. Horrible gym! How moody are that girls, who work in the reception. Most of them never smile. All the classes are so full because obviously they don't have enought classes. I have been there for 3 months as well and I am going to cancel this month I am going to ymca in Kingston.
The creche facilities need a complete revamp - they are some of the poorest in the area yet they are the most expensive by far. When Nuffield took over the crech prices rose at a ridiculous rate, with no improvement in service. Don't get me wrong, the staff are kind and caring for the children, and the facilities are safe, but the activites are outdated and limited.
They claimed the rise was on par with other facilities - clearly their research is misguided as other facilities are cheaper and better
I also concur with the comments about broken lockers, over crowded classes broken down steam room and jacuzzi,
Basically my experience since Nuffield took over has not been a good one and I have now decided to leave and go elsewhere after 9 years of membership ..... and I am not the only one!
I quit cannons in late 2008 when facilities/service delined significantly and several thefts from lockers and of cars had occurred. I have been in there since nuffield took over, and felt it had improved in service but not facilities.
The rates have increased significantly, which in a time of DEFLATION, makes little sense if you wish to recruit and retain customers.
It appears they aren't, as i can get in on free passes at least twice a month...why pay????
I left Nuffield (Cannons) - swimming membership - in March after complaining to them about bad hygiene, overcroweded pool, and insufficient facilities (50 % of lockers were broken). They gave me a bad reply, including the suggestion I attend the pool in off-peak time to get less people!!
I was offended and informed them about my intention to cancel my membership straight away. I interrupted the DD even if it was before 30 days' notice as I did not intend to attend any longer and to give them my money for another month without going.
I actually never put my foot in there since.
On top of it, I did not sign a contract to be tied for a certain amount of time so I find the notice very unfair and unjustifiable, a mere excuse to rip you off some more money.
Now the debit collectors are stalking me for the £28 fee of that last month.
Do you think they will ever take me to court as they threatening??
There is another option...... i used to use cannons.
Healthinhome.co.uk based in surbiton currently offering personal training for £10 (only for first two sessions) but a great deal all the same. They bring all the kit to your house for a one to one fitness session. I had my first session last week and it was great. We did some jogging, stretches, exercises with an exercise band and even some boxing - it was the best workout i have had in a long time and will definitely be booking up more. Even if paying the full price and having a weekly session it doesn't work out that much more expensive than a full membership at nuffield, and its personalised so more effective. The website is www.healthinhome.co.uk.
Obviously a shameless plug for your own company - please leave this website for residents who want to seriously assess local business'
I've been a member of Nuffield (Cannons) now for over 8 years and am also a connections member which gives me access to all of Cannon's facilities around the country. Having used many gyms in the UK and abroad I can say this is one of the best around. The location is great, equipment new (all replaced about a year ago), staff helpful and courteous. Yes the Jacuzzi breaks down far too often, the steam room sometimes isn't steamy enough and the kids are annoying but it's a family gym, other Nuffield’s are adult only. If you go outside of core hours it's virtually empty and a great place to work out. It's a bit more expensive than other gyms but try other brands and compare, I've never had any reason to be disappointed by the overall service and experience and would recommend.
I left Canons in November 2007. Although the facilities are good, it is completely overrun with children in the early evenings. Neither parents nor staff seem to have any interest in controlling them, and I was run into by a child roller skating down the corridor on more than one occassion.
In December 2008, a year after leaving, I started to receive letters from canons threating me with debt collection agencies. Their claim was that I owed one months fee as I had not given sufficient notice in cancelling my membership. Whilst many people may just cancel their direct debit I had given notice. Given the poor standard of the letters perhaps it's not surprising that they couldn't find my letter of notice a year after the event. Anyone thinking of leaving beware - make reception sign for your letter when cancelling your membership!
Left the club as the pool & hot tub, sauna were often out of action.
Staff always busy & unhelpful
Surbiton Racket & Fitness Club have better machine & more helpful staff at a cheaper cost. Why Stay?
I'm afraid I don't agree with this - I took out a membership there and its not up to Nuffield standards - they have hardly any equipment there at all - maybe comment is free advertsing for them I suspect??
There will always be people who experience poor service and I don't doubt that the comments above are an accurate reflection of a very disappointing personal experience. However, my own experience is genuinely different. The gym is capacious, varied and, in my opinion, well-maintained. Granted, weekends are a write-off for those of us without children as the changing rooms are busy with parents and toddlers many of whom appear to struggle with discipline and manners. Visit outside of those times when the place is populated by (young) professionals then it's quiet and relaxing.
I have never had reason to use a personal trainer so I cannot vouch for their capabilities however the reception and 'gym floor' staff have always been pleasant if - as is the case with all transient, low-paid junior roles - a little dispirited and vacant.
The move to Nuffield branding and management would doubtless have little other than superficial benefits and so I would urge anyone who takes issue with the standards of facilities and service raise them at both clubem>and company level. Often in these situations one finds that local management do not have sufficient funds or authority to change things expeditiously but that pressure applied upwards and downwards through the management chain is more effective. Think organ grinders and monkeys.
The long and short of it? Treat the gym as a post-work and weekend-evening workout space and it will no doubt suit you fine. Expect absolute value for the expensive fees and you will be left wanting.
I've been a member at Cannons (now Nuffield) for about a year and a 1/2 now and in this time they've really let their standards slip. As a result 2009 will see me at a different gym, which is a shame as the only thing that seems to be going for this gym is parking and location.
As with any gym, a great result is a mixture of the right facilities and good knowledgeable staff. Unfortunately this gym is now lacking in both. Having had a terrible personal training experience, i complained and their solution was to get the same personal trainer to re-do the session. During this "repeated" session, after having explained a recurring lower back injury i was goded into doing a series of exercises that were completely inappropriate and as a result i've just spent a small fortune on chiropractors to get myself back to the gym. The staff are really non-plussed and you regularly see people performing exercises that are dangerous and not one member of staff corrects them.
Staff wander around staring into middle distance avoiding eye-contact at any opportunity.
To add insult to injury any new equipment they bring in such as the power plates require an extra £10.00 on top of the £70 monthly fees to be taught how to use the equipment properly. they openly admit that they charge this fee in order to recoup the initial cost of the equipment.
The gym is overun with overun with children and if you happen to go around 6.00pm the lowerground is filled with the smell of chicken nuggets and chips - hardly a great advert for a "health club".
Their quality assurance and checking of machines is horrendous and they regularly have a number of machines out of order for long periods of time.
As a result, i definately wouldn't recommend this gym unless you're interested in hanging out in the lounge, drinking copious amounts of coffee and eating pastries. If you want to go to see results and get proper advice on how to train, go somewhere else.
[quote=Anonymous]If you want to go to see results and get proper advice on how to train, go somewhere else. [/quote]
I recently became a member at Nuffield Health in surbiton and got the opposite impression. I was well taken care of and was booked in for a Vi1 assessment, within this assessment they did a number of clinical health assessments that has really made an impact on my life. I would join no other centre, you are always going to get the odd person who likes to kick up a fuss but if you care about your health. I would look no further.
I speak from experience here, having moved into the area I have been a member at a number of gyms. I would be sad to leave...
oh dear. This does not sound very good at all.
I recently just moved to Surbiton and joined Cannons (lack of options mainly). To be fair, I mainly swim, not use the gym and I was very impressed with the facilities there.
But negligent trainers sound awful!
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