Active Start

Launched as a brand new initiative for the 2021/22 academic year, Active Start gave all first year undergraduate students at Oxford Brookes University free access* to our gym facilities at both Headington and Harcourt Hill for the entirety of Semester 1 - up to and including Tuesday 31 January 2022.

Our first semester of running this new initiative has been a huge success, with nearly 700 new students at Oxford Brookes signing up to take part - the initial period is now over and we look forward to seeing it return for the 2022/23 academic year.

We surveyed those who were active within the scheme throughout their free semester, and the results of these surveys showed improved physical and mental health, as well as sleep quality. All well-documented to have a positive impact on academic attainment.

Once again, Active Start will be providing gym access to first year undergraduate students for the whole of Semester 1 up to, and including, Tuesday 31 January 2023.

How to take part

You must be a first year undergraduate Oxford Brookes University student to take part in Active Start.

To sign up to Active Start for 2022/23:

visit our Online Shop
add a free Active Start membership to your shopping basket
proceed to the checkout. You'll be asked a few questions that will help us set up your account.

You'll need your student username/number (the 8-digit number before @brookes.ac.uk on your new email address) to complete this process, and must register with your Oxford Brookes email address. If you don't have this yet, please wait until you receive your number before applying for the membership.

Once this is complete, you will receive an email with confirmation that we have received your application and will be processing it as quickly as we can. It will take us up to 5 working days to process your application, and we'll let you know via email when this has been completed and your membership is ready!

Whilst you're waiting, why not take a look at the rest of our website to get more info on what Brookes Sport can offer you, pop into one of our centre to see what's on offer, or take a peek at our Instagram account @BrookesSportOxford.

Your first visit

On your first gym visit to Brookes Sport, you'll need to provide proof of your eligibility for Active Start. You can do this by showing a copy of your enrolment letter/email to our reception team - we won't need to keep a copy, so showing us your phone will be fine. We'll also link your student card to your membership at this point as your student card provides your gym access so that you don't need to stop at reception for each visit - don't worry if you haven't got your card yet but still want to get into the gym, come and speak to our friendly reception team and we can link your student card at the soonest opportunity thereafter.

Finally, we will also be carrying out a research project alongside Active Start, and would appreciate your input. We'll be sending out three surveys across the semester, with prizes of complimentary membership upgrades available to those that take part and enter into the prize draw.

Thank you for showing your interest in Active Start and Brookes Sport - Welcome to Oxford Brookes, and we can't wait to meet you!

*The free membership offered is at ‘Fitness Basic’ level, offering access on weekdays before 2:00pm, or any time at weekends - more details can be found on our membership page.