A fitness academy is hoping to get 1,000 Macclesfield residents to take part in a virtual exercise session to help get people moving and motivated.

The Academy Group Transformation Centre, which is based on Waterside Mill, hope the event can provide a boost to people's mental health as well as their fitness.

Jon Hall, owner of the academy, told Macclesfield Nub News that the first time they held the RISE session earlier this month, 108 people took part.

The idea came about after the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown led to the cancellation of the Born Survivor event that takes place at Capesthorne Hall, which academy members take part in every year.

Jon said: "There was a lot of disappointment from members that we wouldn't be able to take part in that this year, so we organised the next best thing; a home version of Born Survivor, taken by me and the rest of the coaches through Zoom."

The RISE 1,000 event will take place on 6 June and Jon said he wants to get as many people involved as possible.

He said: "We try and replicate the kind of stuff they do at Born Survivor, so it's a mixture of either running or jogging on the spot, depending on the room you've got. There'll be different exercises that are kind of similar to the ones you'd do at that event; so, things like bear crawls, press ups etc."

In order to keep people on their toes, the coaches will alternate exercises regularly, which means "the time absolutely flies by," Jon said.

There is a target of getting 1,000 people to take part in June's RISE 1,000 event. "We don't have the same limitations when we do Born Survivor normally, such as logistics and people getting there. Anyone can do this, so there's no limit on the number of people who can join in," Jon said.

Depending on capacity, the event will be done over Zoom once more, as Jon said he and the other coaches want to be able to interact with and support those taking part.

Much like Born Survivor, those who take part will receive a medal to recognise the hard work they put in.

Jon said: "What we're finding with our members through our normal sessions is it's helping a lot with their mental health. Some members are in lockdown completely by themselves and their only interactions are the ones they arrange online or the regular ones with us. So, they're still seeing us 3-6 times a week.

"We called it RISE, because it indicated what we wanted people to see it as. So perhaps for some people who have struggled with lockdown, this would be an opportunity to draw a bit of a line under it and start to rise up and move forwards again.

He added: "This isn't necessarily about the workout, it's the state of mind we want people to get into."

If you would like to take part in the RISE 1,000 virtual fitness event on Saturday 6 June, you can sign up here and for updates keep an eye on the event Facebook page.