Lee Tiffin, owner of Black Sheep Fitness Academy

Thank you Lee and Eilish

Superheroes keep the borough fit and active while raising money for the NHS

Lee Tiffin and his wife Eilish run Jarrow-based, Black Sheep Fitness Academy.

In 2017, Lee was winner of The Fundraiser of The Year Award at The Best of South Tyneside Awards, an annual event which celebrates people within the borough who have achieved amazing things. He is back helping to keep the community motivated and healthy during this difficult time whilst also raising money for the NHS Lee and Eilish, who are both 39 and live in South Shields, have been nominated by gym member, Denise Inskip.

“I have attended Black Sheep Fitness Academy for several months now and Lee and Eilish have such non-stop energy that keeps everybody going. With the gym being closed, they have worked tirelessly to keep in regular contact with members, emailing daily workouts and providing free online workouts and motivation for anyone who follows the Black Sheep Fitness Academy page on Facebook and YouTube. I’m not sure how they manage this with four children that they are currently home schooling!"

“They have touched so many people in the borough and helped transform the lives of people with problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes and joint issues."

“They deserve recognition for promoting exercise during this time as a way of maintaining not only physical wellbeing but also mental wellbeing."

Lee said: “We have a fantastic group of members at the academy and we have done our utmost to keep providing a valuable service whilst everyone is at home. A lot of people join in our Facebook live workouts with their kids and it is great to see the whole family keeping active."

“The live workouts have been getting a lot of hits so we decided to host our first fancy dress fundraising workout for the NHS. Everyone had a good laugh watching me jump around dressed as spiderman and we exceeded our target of £100 and reached over £1000 in hours."

“The benefits of keeping fit and healthy must not be underestimated at this time and we hope that we are playing our part in keeping the community in good spirits. When our gym opens, we look forward to seeing all our members and hopefully a few new faces who are looking to join a great community of fun-loving people.”

The Mayor of South Tyneside Councillor Norman Dick, said: “On behalf of the people of South Tyneside, The Mayoress and I would like to convey our gratitude to you both for the work you have done to help keep residents in the borough fit and healthy during this time."

“As the Borough’s First Citizen, I would like to say a huge personal thank you for being part of our community and for helping us address this challenge in such a fun way. We are extremely #proud.”

Read a press release about Black Sheep Fitness Academy