Derry's ARC Fitness to host annual Health Fair – double the size of last year

Addiction recovery service, ARC Fitness, welcomes the public to its second ever annual Health Fair on the 15th March at the Millennium Forum in Derry as they seek to provide attendees with access to information and resources to help manage and improve their physical and mental health.

The free of charge event that is taking place from 11.00am - 3.00pm will have over 50 stalls present, more than double that were present at last year's fair, from a variety of different health related community groups. It is set to be the biggest collaboration of its kind in the city to date. 

Fair attendees will be able to avail of free health checks including blood pressure and cholesterol, mindfulness and fitness demonstrations and receive information on available mental health services, physical health and food nutrition, and more.

The Foyle Down Syndrome Trust will also be showcasing their fitness skills.

The fair, which is being sponsored by E&I Engineering, Urban Lifters, Learning Pool, and in partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund, is part of the organisation’s new ‘More Than That’ campaign which aims to stop us defining individuals based on the struggles they face, limiting their potential.

Addiction is a highly treatable disorder from which the majority of people eventually recover and contribute to our society in numerous and meaningful ways.

Gary Rutherford, Founder and Programme Director of ARC Fitness said: “We’re thrilled to be hosting our first official event as part of our new ‘More Than That’ campaign and we look forward to potentially sharing some breakthrough information and resources with anyone who is either struggling themselves or knows someone who is struggling with substance misuse at the health fair. 

“We held our first ever ARC Fitness Health Fair last year but this year we’ve gone even bigger and are having more than double the amount of stalls and resources for attendees to avail of.

“We believe that no matter who you are or what your experience of substance misuse is, there will be something at the Health Fair for you. We look forward to seeing you there.”

The year long, ‘More Than That’ campaign will also see the Derry based organisation host their annual Colour Dash event, their second ever Recovery Conference in September and the Northern Irish ‘Recovery Walk’. 

ARC Fitness is a non-profit organisation that was first launched in 2019 by Gary, a registered mental health nurse and a qualified personal trainer. It seeks to give individuals, who are recovering from addiction and substance mis-use, the opportunity to focus on improving their mental and physical wellbeing through physical activity, professional support, and re-connection with community.

If you’re interested in learning more about ARC, the ‘More Than That’ campaign or would like to partner with ARC in any way, please visit https://arcfitness.uk/.