News Archives - Oriam Scotland

Category: News

November 11, 2021

Our Oriam| Studio One

We are glad to inform our members that we now have a confirmed work schedule for replacing the air conditioning in Studio One. We listened to member feedback on the temperature controls in the Studio and this work should result in an overall better class experience for everyone, once the work has been completed.

Whilst the work is being completed, studio one will be out of use. We have arrange alternative locations for most of our studio one activities so you can still enjoy your favourite classes.

The work will commence on 15th November and should be completed in 7-10 days. The amended timetable and locations for the first week can be found here.

We have planned the work to cause minimal disruption to our customers and we look forward to enjoying classes and activities in Studio One soon, with a brand new air conditioning system keeping us cool and comfortable. We thank all of our customers for your patience, whilst we have been organising the required air conditioning upgrades.

Temporary Group Exercise Timetable

Book your Classes now

November 5, 2021

Members Newsletter| November

Design is Everything

This month is a special edition of our Oriam Newsletter. This November marks the 5th Anniversary of Oriam’s official opening.
Read on for a full update and news for November.

|NEWS

It is hard to believe that it has been 5 years since Oriam officially opened. Our team, facilities and community has grown and developed so far in that time, with plenty to celebrate and so much more still to come.

First of all, a quick round-up of our October activities at Oriam. Local schools enjoyed October break with Kings Camp and Inflatables Fun here at Oriam and our Students are now back after Consolidation Week. We welcomed Scottish Rugby back to training ahead of the Autumn Nations Series and they started with a strong win against Tonga at Murrayfield! Scottish Football, Handball, Squash and many more groups have been back with us, hosting competitions, matches and training!

To keep up to date with the latest facility information you can follow our social media channels @oriamscotland or check out our FAQ page under the ‘About Us’ tab.

|Our Fifth Anniversary

This month we will be looking back and celebrating what our facilities, people and activities have become in the past five years and take a look ahead to what is next for Oriam! We will be sharing stories, searching the archives of old photos and celebrating our community. Follow our social media channels for all of the fun and tag us in your favourite memories of Oriam this month.

We will also be updating our Oriam Heritage page with a whole timeline and highlights from the past five years. Check in regularly for updates to the page.

Oriam Heritage

|Your Sports Hero

Chris Sellar, our Head of Delivery Section, has recently been award the National Lottery Sports Hero Award for 2021. Recognising individuals or organisations who have inspired others through sport.

Last January, Chris embarked on a challenge to run 10k every day, for 28 days. Not only was this a personal challenge for his own health and wellbeing, but also to raise awareness for the benefits of sport for mental health and fundraising for charities which helped him through an incredibly challenging time.

Find out more about the award and Chris’ story here.

|NEW SPORTS & EXERCISE SCIENCE DEGREE

Heriot-Watt University have announced the launch of our new Sports and Exercise Science Degree! We look forward to working with the university, combining academic expertise and our state-of-the-art facilities to deliver a fantastic new course. Find our more here.

|YOUR POTENTIAL

|NEW POWERLIFTING COURSE

Back in September, our fitness team launched a new Powerlifting course for our students and members. The first 6-week course was such a success we have decided to run it all again! The course is designed for beginner or intermediate Powerlifters to help you develop confidence and refine technique in the sport. All sessions are led by our own Oriam instructor, Michael and held in small groups in our strength & conditioning gym.

Bookings are open, get your spot now!

BOOK NOW

|YOUR FRIENDSHIP

Sports and Exercise are always better with a buddy. Help each other through the low motivation days, celebrate your little victories and laugh off the ‘blooper reel’ moments together.

If you want to bring a friend and share the fun at Oriam, check-out our Refer-a-friend page and get a free 3-day pass for your buddy.

|FITNESS TEAM

Have you noticed the new additions to our Fitness Suite? We have listened to member feedback and introduced an extra lifting platform and Hip-thrust machine.

We would also like to welcome Stuart to the Fitness team, starting this month. Stuart has previously been with Oriam in the Reception team and Personal Training and this is an exciting next step for the team.

|SHE CAN SHE WILL

Last month we celebrated Scottish Women in Sport Week at Oriam, focussing on our very own women in sport within the Oriam Team. We hope you agree that we have some awesome, driven and inspiring women working with us! Our Oriam Team are inspired by athletes and leaders and in turn, lead and inspire our own staff, athletes and community on a daily basis.

|MOVEMBER

November is Movember, the month of questionable facial hair and impressive (or silly) fundraising challenges. Heriot Watt Sports Union are leading their annual fundraising campaign and they are setting the bar high. Last year they raised over £35000 and they want to smash that target this year.

Movember aims to raise awareness and support for Men’s health, including mental health and cancer awareness & care. If you would like to get involved or make a donation, check out the Sports Union page here.

|YOUR EXPERIENCE
Events and Activities

|ORIAM WALKING FOOTBALL

On Sunday 21st November we will be hosting a walking football event with a marathon walking football challenge, competitive matches and fun recreational sessions all raising funds and awareness for AgeScotland

|GRADUATIONS

In December we look forward to hosting Heriot-Watt Graduations once again. It has been two years since we last hosted in-person graduations and we can’t wait to celebrate the hard-work and success of all the students completing their studies now.

Some of our facilities will be dedicated for Graduation ceremonies throughout the first week of December. We will let our members know of any changes to services closer to the time.

If you would like to get involved in the upcoming graduations, we are currently hiring for short-term event staff. A great opportunity to get some hands-on events experience and a little extra income before Christmas. Please apply to careers@oriam.hw.ac.uk.

|ORIAM KIDS

The Winter Term for Oriam Kids Classes are now underway but there are still a few spaces left in some of Athletics and Mini Multi-sports classes and many of our partner classes.

Get your kids active after school, especially as the days get colder and darker. Find out more about our classes from the buttons below.

ORIAM KIDS

BW DANCE

DANSATION

HEARTS SOCCER Academy

Racquet Buddies

Yoga Zoo

|YOUR WATT FAMILY

November is a busy month for our Heriot-watt students and the Sports Union.

Sports Union are leading the fundraising challenge for Movember this month, with a variety of challenges and activities throughout the month.

It is also time for Sports Union’s, Strictly Come Dancing! The partners have been set and the dances are being rehearsed. Tickets are now available for the big night on the 24th November! Ticket sales go to Lothian Disability Sport.

For any new or returning students, it is never too late to join-up to Oriam or a Sports Union club. Find out more about student sport over on the Sports Union website.

Sports Union

Oriam Student SPORt

NEW SWIMMING GROUP

The Michael Jamieson Swim Academy are coming to Oriam this month. They run small group classes with level 2 qualified, experienced instructors. Classes for non-swimmers and beginners start on 31st October at our Oriam Hydropool!

Check out the mjsa website for more details and booking options.

| YOUR FUTURE

We are hiring for a range of roles at Oriam. Part-time and Full-time Opportunities. We run a supportive team environment, encourage personal development and there are some great staff perks so check out our Job Vacancies page or email your cover letter and CV to careers@oriam.hw.ac.uk

Apply Now

|OUR ORIAM

|FACE MASKS

We are glad to be returning to an almost ‘normal service’ here at Oriam and we appreciate all of our visitors who are doing their part to keep everyone safe and comfortable.

Please remember that masks are still mandatory in public venues in Scotland. For Oriam that means you must wear a mask (unless medically exempt) when entering and leaving the facilities, including reception, corridors and bistro areas. If you forget a mask we have them to purchase at reception for £1.

You do not need to wear a mask whilst participating in sport or fitness activities so they are not required whilst in the fitness suite or whilst playing on pitches/courts. We hope to continue running all our activities as normal but we can only do this with our visitors support.

|FACILITIES MAINTENANCE
If you have visited Oriam recently you may be aware of a few maintenance projects we are working on, to ensure our facilities are safe, clean and comfortable now and for the future. Our Operations team have an update on progress for our members.

|STUDIO ONE – AIR CONDITIONING
The current air conditioning system has limited maintenace access and needs updating. The portable AC units are in place temporarily. We have procured a contractor to repair the studio air conditioning, we are awaiting availability and a full work schedule. This will likely result in the studio being closed for up to 7 days and we will where possible move classes to alternative spaces. If there are limitations we may hold off on this work until later in the year.

|ORIAM LIGHTING
Our emergency lighting in Oriam has a fault which needs repaired. The temporary lighting is in place to ensure our facilities are still functional in the case of an emergency. Some areas will need to remain closed until this repair is completed. We have had a few visits now from the main contractor and are awaiting an update on how long the necessary parts for the repair will take to arrive in the UK. We will update again in the coming days/weeks, we are working on this daily and safety will remain our key priority.

October 25, 2021

Our Oriam| Your Success

Chris Sellar, our Head of Delivery Section, has recently been award the National Lottery Sports Hero Award for 2021. Recognising individuals or organisations who have inspired others through sport.

Ross Campbell, Oriam CEO shared this message.

On behalf of all the Staff at Oriam
I would like to express our sincerest Congratulations to Chris Sellar on his recent award, this has been the result of tremendous hard work, determination and endurance from Chris which is truly commendable following the loss of his mother.

Chris raised over £20,000 and ran 10km everyday in January 2021 in Memory of his Mother to raise awareness for those who have been effected by Suicide. In completing this personal challenge, Chris has brought so much needed awareness to the topic of Suicide and Suicide prevention.

Well Done again Chris, you have Inspired so many and your sincere effort deserves the success from this award.

You can read more about the Award and Chris’ challenge here or watch the short video below.

At Oriam we support positive mental health and wellbeing through sport and exercise. You can ask our fitness team to help find a sport or workout routine to help boost your mood, and our staff are always happy to listen if you just want to chat. You can find more information or support for mental health illness and bereavement in the links below.

SOBS UK – Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide, Charity Organisation

Samaratins – Charity Organisation with helpline support and information

Back Onside – Charity Organisation – focussed on mental health support in sport

Breathing Space Scotland – Charity Organisation with information and helpline support

NHS 24 – Call 101
Emergency Services – Call 999

October 7, 2021