Over a thousand students and staff flocked to events during the most successful Health Week ever, with more than twice as many women turning up than men.

The 1,043 who participated in the range of events was almost double that of 2009 - lured by classes like trampolining, badminton and tennis.

During the week the sport and recreation department put on 87 free activities and services between February 8 and 12, 36 more than last year, supported by other University departments.

Jo Heath, sports development manager, said: “I think Health Week was a great success.  It goes from strength to strength each year and that is down to the support and input from many departments that offer their services and expertise.”    

The most popular service was chlamydia testing which attracted 350 people, while more than 300 people did tried a new sport of did an aerobics or body conditioning  class.

Vicki Luke, an external trainer, said: “It is hard to say if Health Week has increased attendance to classes because the numbers vary so much anyway. It peaks at Christmas, for example, and then people get into their studies and social lives and the numbers drop.”

The week was funded in part by Kingston’s human resources (HR) department while many others contributed free services, and external companies and institutions also invested in the initiative, something organisers hope to build on for next year.

Adam Zollo, fitness centre manager, said: “Health Week has put [the fitness centre] back on the map. It has reminded people that we are still here and have a lot of activities to offer our staff and students.”

Gym memberships have “definitely gone up” and the fitness centre is continuing to enjoy boosted numbers although official figures are currently unavailable.