RINKA, one of Ireland’s leading children’s fitness and wellness providers, will host classes across Ireland this January.
The business has also opened its new central training hub in Athlone. Set-up in 2016 by Donegal native, Sarah Gillespie, RINKA is a fun-filled approach to children’s health and fitness that provides a dynamic and fun system for managing children’s health and wellbeing through active and creative fitness classes, without a competitive element.
CEO and founder of RINKA, Sarah Gillespie, says the move is an exciting one for the business: “Due to demand and to facilitate the growth of RINKA, we’ve made the decision to move our central training hub to Athlone, with our head office remaining in Donegal Town.
We’re over the moon with how RINKA has grown over such a short period of time and while we’re sad to leave our first training home in Donegal Town, the move to Monksland, Athlone makes sense logistically and will allow us to grow even more, providing further employment to rural areas as well as helping us reach more children across Ireland,
sharing our ethos with them.”
Before starting up RINKA, Sarah was a former champion Irish dancer, however a serious road traffic collision in Germany forced her to re-evaluate her career path which led to the birth of RINKA.
Speaking about the ethos of the business, Sarah said: “The aim of RINKA is to nurture children at their own pace without the pressure of competitions; our goals are fitness and fun, regardless of age or ability. RINKA classes also re-awaken the energy and natural creativity that have been lost in today’s youth. A study published in the Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal in November found that seven in ten older Irish children do not get enough exercise.
Research by University College Cork also concluded that skills which were generally mastered by six-year-olds – such as jumping, throwing, catching or hitting any type of sports ball – are now out of reach for many children by the time they reach 12 or 13. We’re seeing this all the time in our classes and that’s why RINKA is built around the core
philosophy of getting children active again through high-energy games, athletic and gymnastic skills, dance, drama and fitness.”
RINKA classes are all-inclusive, age appropriate and strive to offer alternatives to mainstream sports, ensuring that all children – not just those who love sport already – are supported in reaching their physical activity requirements.
RINKA currently employs instructors in Donegal, Sligo, Meath, Cavan, Westmeath, Longford, Leitrim, Offaly, Mayo, Galway and Roscommon and will open new classes in Clare and Limerick in January 2020.
For more information on classes near you or to become a RINKA
instructor, visit www.rinka.ie or email hello@rinka.ie.