Mobilates - Club of the Month Award November 2025

Inclusive movement provider, Mobilates, has been named the Every Body Moves Club of the Month for November 2025 by ParalympicsGB. The EBM team took a trip to Exeter to spend a day with the organisation, to celebrate their achievement and a community that is reshaping what movement and exercise can look like when when inclusion and adaption is built in from the start.

A flexible and truly inclusive approach

Founder, Leanne English, told us: "Mobilates started as a mix between mobility exercises and Pilates, and now is an accessible and fully inclusive exercise for people with health conditions, mobility issues, persistent pain, fatigue and disabilities as well."

"We want our members to enjoy the benefits of moving their bodies, and feel positive about what they CAN do."

They offer a flexible mix of online sessions and in person classes in Kent and Exeter. For many disabled people, barriers in transport, fluctuating energy and limited accessible venues can restrict options, so this approach gives greater choice. 

Each participant enjoys a 1-2-1 session before getting started, this conversation is not a gatekeeping step but a chance for the instructor to understand the person, rather than the diagnosis. The session explores movement preferences, access needs and goals. The instructor then adapts the exercises to remove barriers so the participant can take part in a way that suits their body.

Representation from design to delivery 

Leanne refleted on her own journey with us and why this level of individual support is important. "I spent many years, with probably twenty two plus hours of the day in bed, due to having Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and postural orthostatic tachycardia. Eventually, I managed to get myself to a Pilates class. It was just too much for me. Teachers were quite nervous about having me in the group, but I persisted that my mobility was getting better. That pain was reducing. I was getting really excited about it. I thought, there needs to be something out there for people like me."

All sessions are delivered by disabled instructors or those with a long term health condition.

This approach is central to the character of the club. When disabled instructors guide the process, the structure of each class reflects real lived experience. This changes the usual power dynamic in exercise spaces and helps create an environment where participants feel understood without having to justify their needs.

An authentic online community and experience

We visited long time participant Bee at her house, who told us more about the online session: "When you get diagnosed with whatever condition, it's a life changing. You can get quite isolated... but just being part of a community, you know, and smiling, and exercising..."

"It gives a focus to my day, it makes me feel cheerful and I feel as if I've achieved something."

Mobilates have achieved what many others wish to, in making sure that the online sessions retain the same feeling of community and authentic connection that the in-person session usually bring.

Cathy, who attends the in-person sessions with her daughter and the online classes, told us why she enjoys the latter: "I think the online aspect of it is really important because you can be in your own space and feel supported. For me, it's also the convenience of it and that also makes it feel more safe."

Because Every Body Moves

The club are actively changing the landscape of physical activity for disabled people, not just in the ways that it is co-produced in design and delivery, but also in the way that it can be accessed and participated in.

Their flexible provision, disabled leadership and thoughtful preparation show how movement sessions can be shaped around people rather than expecting people to fit preset structures.

This award is a recognition of work that has grown from lived experience, care and practical creativity. Mobilates demonstrates what is possible when disabled people shape the design and delivery of movement spaces.

Congratulations to the Mobilates team and to the community that continues to shape it. This is a well deserved moment and a welcome step forward for inclusive sport and movement across the UK.