Southampton resident and BH Live Active member, who spent years living with a long-term leg injury, has praised the support of her local fitness community for transforming her confidence, strength, and career path.

Kerry was born with gait issues that required multiple corrective surgeries on her legs. Complications from the second operation left her with a severe infection. Over 18 months, she underwent five surgeries on her right femur.

While recovering, Kerry decided she wanted to rethink her lifestyle and become more active. She began her fitness journey with low-impact classes, including Aqua Fit and Good Boost Aqua classes at Bitterne Leisure Centre, to improve mobility and strengthen her legs.

As her confidence and stamina grew, she soon progressed to Les Mills™ classes such as BODYSTEP, BODYPUMP, and BODYCOMBAT. She soon joined Ladies That Lift sessions, designed to introduce both beginner and advanced members to free-weights training. It wasn’t long before each week, she was finding space to workout at the front of each class.

But walking into the gym for the first time was daunting.

“I felt really overwhelmed,” she admitted. “But the staff and people there made all the difference. They were really chatty and supportive, and as a result, the gym became a welcoming and friendly space. Our friendships really made it feel like a community. It felt easy, in the end, to come back every week just to see all the familiar faces.”

In early 2025, one of Kerry’s class instructors encouraged her to become a lifeguard.

“I was really worried about the physical fitness test, but thanks to the encouragement of the instructors, I decided to go for it.”

She completed the six‑day intensive course, which includes monthly ongoing training and a requalification every two years. She officially qualified in November and began working as a lifeguard for BH Live Active in December 2025.

“I’d absolutely recommend it. The camaraderie is brilliant and it’s so rewarding. You learn so much, especially in first aid. You get really stuck in,” she said.

Kerry is now considering working towards a swimming teacher qualification, a milestone that feels especially meaningful, as she first learned to swim at Bitterne Leisure Centre with encouragement from her sister.

BH Live Active, Bitterne is operated by registered charity and social enterprise BH Live in partnership with Southampton City Council.

On behalf of BH Live, Maxwell Bradbury-Knight, Contract Manager, shared;

“Kerry’s journey is an inspiring example of what can be achieved when someone is supported by a welcoming and inclusive fitness community. At BH Live Active, we are committed to making activity accessible for everyone, especially for those rebuilding confidence after illness or injury. We’re delighted that the team and facilities at Bitterne Leisure Centre have played such a positive part in her recovery and future ambitions.”

Just a short drive from Southampton City Centre, Bitterne Leisure Centre is a multi-complex facility, offering activities for visitors of all ages and abilities to help improve health and wellbeing.

The centre also facilitates access to swimming for families, including free swimming for under‑5s. BH Live is additionally dedicated to supporting residents with long-term injuries and health conditions through its exercise referral scheme, which launched in Southampton earlier this year.

For more information about BH Live’s health and wellbeing programmes, visit bhliveactive.org.uk/health-and-wellbeing-activities.

For more information about BH Live Active, visit bhliveactive.org.uk.