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Cameron Elliott spends most of his time helping Islanders to live healthily, drop the pounds and build some muscle, but today the founder of Physique Transformations is sharing how he would 'strengthen' Jersey.
For this PT star, physical and mental health are equally high on the agenda, as he tells Express...
Fort Regent used to be a really fun place to go when I was a child. They then decided to get rid of the swimming pool and it went drastically downhill. I think the States should put some money into it to make it fun again. My ideas would include getting a swimming pool back, an all year round ice rink, indoor skate/roller blade park and another bowling alley - that’s just to name a few.
I think Fort Regent currently - apart from the martial arts centres and gym – is a huge waste of space and has been for far too many years. Luckily, I’m quite a young parent so I’m physically able to take my son outdoors when he grows up and kick a football around with him. But for those that are less able, what is there for children to do? 
Pictured: Cameron and his family spending time outdoors. (Photo: Cameron Elliott)
It’s so expensive for friends and family to get to the Island to visit. This is largely due to the cost of the landing fees compared to travelling to cities like Liverpool, and it being much cheaper. I believe that reducing the landing fees would boost the economy due to an increase in tourism and more profit generated for local businesses. Many of the guest houses that have gone out of business in recent years are down to the cost of getting here.
Because many guest houses and local hotels have closed, the remaining accommodation is too expensive for an average family wanting to visit. I believe that the States is solely corporate-focused and tourism has gone out the window. A solution would be to either bring an affordable family hotel such as Ibis, or alternatively introduce AirBnB to the Island. This would allow locals to see their families more frequently and again would boost tourism and local businesses.
I’m not saying I don’t eat junk food, because I would be lying to you if I did. But this year’s figures showed that 35% of 10 and 11 year olds on the Island were obese - that’s a higher percentage than the UK. The States’ Head of Health Improvement, Martin Knight, said that bad diet was now more of a threat than smoking or drinking on the island.
Instead of thinking about where the States are going to put the new hospital and spending multi millions in the process of doing so, should they not be thinking about supplying schools with healthy and fresh produce and changing the lunch menus? This is one of the main reasons people end up in hospital anyway, because we have a massive problem with obesity resulting in many heart attacks each year. I really believe they do stuff backwards over here.
Pictured: Cameron leads a training session with a group of local young people. (Photo: Cameron Elliott)
This is a big Issue the island has that’s close to my heart. My fiancée used to suffer with anorexia for years - luckily she was living in the UK at the time and received some support there from professionals, but if she was over here it could have been a lot more devastating for her family and friends.
Along with body dysmorphia, Jersey has a big problem with drug addicts, alcoholics and depression. If the States set up and funded some more professional facilities, then mental illness would decrease massively. I know there are already some places, but there are certainly none that cover all categories of mental illness. This would result in less suicides and overdoses, making the Island safer for all.
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