Four years ago in 2006 Custodial Review published an article on the new staff gym that had been built at HMP Belmarsh. It was built by the works department and equipped with the assistance of a loan from the Civil Service Sports Association - The costs of the equipment being paid by membership subscriptions. Now HMP Full Sutton has done the same - only better!
It takes a person with vision and a lot of persistence and solid management backing to pull off an achievement like this. In the case of HMP Full Sutton the driving force was Paul Macintosh. He is a catering officer who has spent his entire career at HMP Full Sutton. He joined the Prison Service in 1998 as a residential officer and worked on Bravo wing. Six years ago a vacancy came up for a trainee caterer. It was a role he thought he could be good at and so became a Catering Officer. We had a tour conducted by Mrs. Mackintosh, who works as a civilian trainer at the prison...

How did you get the idea to build a staff gym and obtain the funding?
Paul Mackintosh    From the Custodial Review, I read the article on Belmarsh and thought that it seemed a very good idea. So I contacted Bob Barker at Belmarsh and asked him how he went about it. He provided a lot of information and I’m grateful to him for that as it made the job a lot easier. I then wrote a business plan and presented it to our then Deputy Governor. He was unable to support the project at that time and it sat in my desk draw for a couple of years. Every now and then I would take it out, dust it off and present it again.

This is sounding like the Library project in the film Shawshank Redemption!  What did it take to convince him?
Paul Mackintosh    He moved on and a new Deputy Governor called Ed Cornmell joined us. In 2008 one of his actions was to set up a staff facilities committee and he then requested ideas for improving provision of facilities for the staff. What he wanted was for volunteers to throw ideas at him for what staff wanted to see around the prison for their benefit. I took the staff gym idea to him and fortunately he decided to support it.

Who else was involved in pushing the project forward?
Paul Mackintosh    It was Ed Cornmell, the Staff Facilities Committee, Alan Peed and Sharon Ashby from the C.S.S.C., and of course my wife Marie.

How long ago did you start putting together the funding?
Paul Mackintosh   From the very start in 2006. I discussed it with Alan Peed and Sharon Ashby of the C.S.S.C., to get some idea of what to do and what was involved. They were very helpful with the advice and helping us to put together a business model that would work. The go-ahead came from the number one Governor Steve Tilley and the Deputy Governor Ed Cornmell about a year ago and the plan was put in motion.

What did you do about premises?
Paul Mackintosh    The building used to be an officers mess and held a kitchen and dining room. It was run under contract by a national company. When the contract was terminated by them in 2009, the part of the building it occupied fell vacant. This was an ideal situation to install the gym. Costings on the conversion work were done and the works department cleared the building out, refurbished the space, built a couple of walls and installed the showers. All this was project managed by Martin Derham our works site manager.

You have some splendid equipment in the gym and plenty of it. How was it funded and provided?
Paul Mackintosh    The funding comes from the Civil Service Sports Council to purchase the equipment. The equipment is manufactured by TECA and is supplied via On Site Fitness.  They have been working with the C.S.S.C., for a number of years now. It is then paid for by the C.S.S.C., and we repay their soft loan from membership fees. We liaised with Alan Peed at the C.S.S.C., and Graham Taylor from OSF and after this, all the equipment is provided. The kit here cost just over £50.000 and we have 5 years to pay that back.

What is the cost to be a member of the staff Gym, and how many members do you have?
Paul Mackintosh    Anyone employed by the Ministry of Justice currently pay £3.25 for their C.S.S.C. membership and £10 gym membership for the kit, per month. The £3.25 C.S.S.C. payment is deducted from pay then each member sets up a standing order and pays £10.00 into the gym’s bank account. The only item that was donated was the punch bag. This was requested by the several boxers who work at the prison. It’s excellent fitness training!

How long has it been open and how many members do you have?

You have some superb kit, however what made you decide on exactly what was needed?
Paul Mackintosh    Alan Peed from the C.S.S.C., came up for a look and he advised us on what to have. He even provided a planned scale drawing of what could be fitted in. That gave us some ideas, and so in 2008 we put around a questionnaire to all staff members asking them what facilities and kit they would like included. With this input, a new plan was produced and costed.

It’s early days, however, can you tell me what benefits have been realised so far?
Paul Mackintosh    The statutory fitness test has brought to the fore the needs for staff to be fitter. The gym satisfies some of the requirements this has generated. There is also the feel-good factor. There is not a gym of this quality for some distance. In addition any other gym has a far higher membership fee. For £13.50 a month all our members have access to state-of-the-art equipment in modern surroundings and with excellent facilities attached and it’s right on their workplace doorstep. This makes people feel good. And because they are almost shareholders in the facility, they have a say over what happens, what additional facilities and benefits can be provided from any profit that may be made. It creates a sense of ownership. That is good for morale. You don’t get that from a conventional fitness centre.

The C.S.S.C., have lent you 50k on a soft loan. Who picks up the bill if it all goes wrong and the finances collapse?
Paul Mackintosh    It’s in the interest of the C.S.S.C., to assist where possible as it is they who put up front the funding for the equipment. The facility has a committee of 7 who manage things on a daily basis - these being Andy Coggon, Steve and Joanne Cook, Ian Walton, Maureen O’Regan, my good lady Marie and Myself. The C.S.S.C., keep in close contact with us. If they think it’s going away then they come in and help put things right by advising on attracting new members, or putting right people’s reasons for not supporting it.

Over what geographical area does the staff live?   
Paul Mackintosh    A large one! Some live as far away as Selby and Hull. So although there are some other facilities in the area, none offer this value for money right on their doorstep.

You read about this scheme in an article I wrote 4 years ago, what advice would you give to anyone contemplating doing the same thing?
Paul Mackintosh    If you have a belief and want it, then it can be done. But do your research! Call me, Bob Barker at Belmarsh or Alan Peed at the C.S.S.C. Get the backing of the Governor and don’t give up, it’s so worth it!

Thank you Paul for talking to the Review.