The Team
At Personal Space we believe that the human element makes a gym, not the equipment... as you will experience during our sessions.
Mark Roberts - Personal Coach
Mark is director of Personal Space and has been in the health and fitness industry for over 15 years. He has been fitness expert for sky television, numerous television appearances and speed, strength and conditioning coach for Harlequins RFU 2005-2007. His sporting background is as a nationally ranked Decathlete. His passion is health and fitness and his knowledge and versatility make every session enjoyable and original.
His belief is that training is only part of the equation and by managing and allowing clients to become accountable to themselves not only gives quick and obtainable results but more importantly long term changes.
Neil Hillier - Personal Trainer
Neil holds a sports science degree and is a certified Golf Biomechanic and CHEK practitioner Level 1. Neil has been working in the health and fitness industry since 1995 and works closely alongside our Osteopath providing functional exercises to ensure speedy recovery from all injuries whether they be sports related or postural.
Neil is a keen Triathlete and implements a lot of his training towards helping clients reach their goals and objectives.
Joseph Oyebanji - Nutritionist/ Personal Trainer
Joseph is our on site Nutritional specialist.
Joseph completed a degree in Computer science but has always felt his strength was working with people, which lead him to qualify as a personal trainer. His interests in the effect of nutrition on people's well being then lead him to complete a Nutritional Therapy degree. He now combines this knowledge with his personal training skills. He trains and competes in kick boxing which he can incorporate into his workouts.
Shyam Chavda - Personal Trainer
Shyam has a BSc in sport, health and exercise science, from St Mary’s College University, and is furthering his knowledge through a Masters in strength and conditioning. Since graduating he has worked with both international and national athletes ranging from softball players to professional fighters, and has been working as an assistant strength coach at London Wasps Rugby academy.
He currently holds both South East division and British powerlifting champion titles in his weight class and now is training in mixed martial arts (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai and Wrestling).
Shyam's motto is "just man up"
Kate Taylor - Personal trainer / sports injury and rehab
After teaching and competing in a number of water and athletic based sports, Kate decided to move into personal conditioning and training. For this, Kate did a three year degree in BSc Sports Rehabilitation and Injury Prevention and graduated in 2009 becoming a member of the British Association of Sports Rehabilitators and Trainers (BASRaT). Since then Kate has worked with a number of Rugby and American Football teams creating individual rehab programmes, pre-season injury prevention programmes as well as covering assessment and treatment of injuries.
Kate also works for a private clinic in London offering corrective postural training and conditioning work to those recovering from injury. She also provides soft tissue sports massage work.
Georgie Shand - Personal trainer/ pilates/ sports injury and rehab
Georgie attained a BSc in Sports Rehabilitation at St Mary’s University College in 2008. After graduation she worked for Guildford rugby club before going to Australia to spend time at the Institute of sport in Melbourne, working closely alongside the Victorian gymnastic squad. While working there she concentrated on all aspects of sports rehabilitation and preventative treatment.
She also works at the Forge clinic in Richmond where she specializes in injury rehabilitation; using exercise based fitness programmes as well ass soft tissue techniques. Georgie is also a qualified tennis coach.
Iain Mahony - Personal trainer
Iain worked as a chef in a Michelin stared restaurant and in the city before embarking on a career in the health industry. These careers have given him a genuine appreciation of the constraints and pressures that clients have to contend with; it also allows for sensible and achievable goal setting.
All sessions are designed to match your individual goals and lifestyles. The prime emphasis is to pick a strategy that will keep you motivated.
The goals are simple; to get clients leaner, healthier and - most importantly - happier
Sam Burch - Osteopath
Sam Burch qualified from the British School of Osteopathy in 2001 gaining awards for academic and practical excellence. On graduating he was lucky enough to be approached by one of the U.K.'s leading osteopaths to work in his large training practice in Suffolk.
He continues to work as part of the team gaining further experience in dealing with a wide cross-section of the community from babies through to the most senior of citizens. Through the specialist children's clinic Sam has gained valuable post graduate experience in paediatric osteopathy and the use of cranial techniques. This added to his sound base in structural osteopathy allows him to practice with a wide variety of osteopathic technique tailored to individual patients of all ages.
In the past, Sam has competed at regional and national levels in many sports and his involvement continues through osteopathy. He has experience since 2000 in dealing with professional and semi-professional sports men and women in the London, Essex and Suffolk area.
Ann Marie Birmingham - Sports injury and rehab
Ann Marie holds a degree in sports rehabilitation. She currently works at Harlequins Rugby Club where she is their sports masseuse but also co-ordinates mobility and rehab sessions for individual players returning to fitness. She is also the full time sports masseuse to the British Army rugby team.
When she has a moment of spare time, she works hard on retaining her silver medal (hopefully gold) from the world kickboxing championships.
David Vrettos - Sports injury and rehab
David has always had a profound interest in the body, which led him into the world of sports injury and rehabilitation with a degree at St Mary’s College University. This eventually led him to central London, where he now works for a number of prestigious clinics. Here he combines an excellent knowledge of musculoskeletal assessment with varied and up to date treatment and rehabilitation strategies, where sports massage also plays an important role.
Whilst David believes that a need for a deep massage is often overlooked as a form of symptom relief, he can’t stress enough the importance of finding the root of the problem that creates this need.
David is a member of the British Association of Sports Rehabilitators and trainers (BASRaT).
"Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional"
Aya Hokimoto - Pilates instructor
Aya graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Music in 2001. She was introduced to Pilates after severe repetitive strain injury of the shoulder from violin performances, and was inspired to become a qualified instructor after successful treatment. Following her apprenticeship with Alan Herdman, a pioneer of Pilates in the UK, Aya currently teaches machine-based Pilates to over 100 clients a week. She takes regular referrals from GPs, physiotherapists and osteopaths for back and shoulder problems, as well as post-surgical rehabilitation.
Her approach focuses on restoration and fine-tuning of muscle balance and postural awareness. Clients are physically assessed to identify individual needs, and tailored programmes are constructed to help regain functional movement and achieve long-term pain control.
Anna Barkensjo - Personal Trainer
Gone... but not forgotten!