Sheffield student sets up fitness camp focusing on improving mental health

She was turned away from NHS services and just handed medication to help her cope but at the age of 16 after dropping out of A-Levels she knew she had to do something about breaking down the stigma and she did so by creating her own award-winning business.

The Happiness Bootcamp is a social enterprise that uses fitness to educate on mental health and was created back in 2016 when Aimee was just 17 and went on to win the Sheffield College Student Enterprise of the Year Award for 2017.

It all started from agreeing to do an event in a small cafe speaking about mental health which she thought no-one would turn up to, but more than 300 people did and from then the business has blossomed into something that is saving lives.

Aimee, now 22, said: “I had no equipment and no experience in speaking, I had over 300 people attend my first workshop. I realised that we were abandoning thousands of people, this was not okay and I needed to change things.

“Physical health is extremely important. We, as human beings, need to make sure we care for our bodies. That does not mean doing a million burpees and dieting – it means making sure we are eating balanced diets but also enjoying ourselves and not feeling guilty. It means learning how to check for signs of illness such as cancer.

“I try and teach my clients how to look after themselves and for them to know they can have a bad day but they must know that better days will come.”

Now, four years on Aimee has appeared on BBC Radio One, delivered sessions for the NHS and held conferences and classes for some of the biggest fitness companies in the world.

She has also now opened her own fitness studio in the heart of Sheffield.

But Aimee said she never forgets how important it is to keep talking about mental health and how her past shaped and led her to set up the programme.

She added: “I have mental health disorders but I have come so far, I am still a person. That’s what we need to teach others, to understand and to know how to support the people they love”

Visit www.thehappinessbootcamp.com