JK House Training Centre offers a tailored training and rehabilitation service for stroke survivors. Founder Kieron Franklin has helped hundreds of people on their journey towards self reliance and has ambitious plans for the months ahead.
SR Times asked the man himself what drives his passion for rehab and what’s next for the centre.
How was JK House established?
During my time in the British Army, I became fascinated about how our bodies quickly adapted to training, becoming stronger and fitter each day. Before then I would never have thought I could run as fast or for as long as I found I could.
On leaving the army, I researched the science behind training. By understanding how and why the body works and responds in the way it does, I achieved the results I wanted over a journey of many years. I increased muscle mass, shredded body fat and became more resilient at cardio-vascular training.
I narrowed my focus into the use of physical rehabilitation techniques to improve the lives of stroke survivors. I am proud to have helped so many people live more independent, healthy and happy lives.
How has the company evolved over the years?
JK House started as a mobile personal training company and within a few months we were fully booked.
Dr Tom Balchin, founder of the ARNI Institute, emailed us asking if we had ever worked with stroke. He invited me along to a training day and said that if I was interested in learning more, he would train me.
I was fascinated with the effort and concentration that was needed to achieve the smallest of movements. I knew at this point that this was what I wanted to do.
I qualified as a Level 4 PT in Stroke Rehab. Within two years I had become a Senior Instructor for the ARNI Institute, pushing JK House into the world of stroke.
Now we are starting to run our own upper limb rehabilitation courses in Poole, set across five days. We aim to teach and develop stroke survivors’ skills and responses from the upper limb.
In 2021, we won the Poole Business Awards for best Health, Beauty and Fitness Company.
What makes JK House stand out?
Our results, plain and simple. From clients being told they will never walk again and then climbing mountains, to being told they will never be able to use their arm again to chest-pressing 7.5kg single-armed. We don’t use high tech equipment or medical practices, just back-to-basics strength training, hard work and grit.
We hold our annual Mountember event for the ARNI Institute. This is a fundraiser but also a huge awareness campaign for stroke. Mountember is a chance to scream as loudly as possible that, yes, help is out there and no, never give up trying.
Throughout September, we take a mixture of able bodied and stroke survivors up a different peak each weekend. Mountains such as Pen – Y – Fan in South Wales, Snowdon in North Wales, Helvellyn in the Lake District and Ben Nevis in Scotland.
The event travels the UK to let people know that help is there and someone does care. You don’t have to be a stroke survivor to take part, anyone can get involved. In 2022, it is going to be bigger than ever!
What are the greatest challenges facing stroke survivors in their recovery?
Information. A lot don’t know or understand what has happened or the different issues around stroke. We talk in plain English, explain why we are doing the exercises and what we hope to achieve. We help them find the ‘commands’ to give the affected limbs and push them to limits they never knew they had.
Self-belief and knowing someone believes in them goes a very long way. We don’t treat our clients as patients, they are equals. They come to us to improve and we push them as far as possible to get the results they want. But most of all, we are there for them.
One of my personal hates are health professionals that don’t train themselves. How can you emphasise with how tough the training is if you don’t put yourself through the same stresses and strains?
In January 2021 I took this to the next level when I suffered a FND and became paralysed down my right side. I underwent the same rehab I put our clients through and have made a full recovery.
How have you navigated Covid?
We delivered shopping and supplies to our clients during lockdowns and did welfare calls. Zoom provided a lifeline to many of our clients and encouraged them to continue training.
As soon as we were given keyworker status, we adapted our training to houses and gardens. Our clients’ welfare is paramount and no-one had visits unless they were happy with us coming. We were in full PPE with our own additional COVID policies.
We worked closely with carers and family members while doing our Zoom sessions and as a way of saying thank you, we treated them to a weekend away when the hotels opened again.
The pandemic highlighted something that we strongly believe in: it’s never just one person that makes a change. By pulling together with other people from other industries and disciplines we can achieve anything.
What are your priorities for the months and years ahead?
We are looking for motivated, driven and dedicated personal trainers to join our Associates program, take the next step in their careers and make a difference to stroke survivors’ lives.
JK House started with nothing more than an idea. Our network of trainers is growing. With more territories being carved across England, Scotland and Wales, it’s time to set your claim.
Help us hold annual fundraising events for UK charities, run your own fitness events, design and produce your own branded clothing and continually develop your own business achievements.
Over the next few years we will be looking to expand into America and South Africa. We have many projects ongoing within our stroke work and other avenues.
Our work with Veterans and the MOD continue to grow and our events are getting bigger and better with each passing year including Mountember, Coastal Tab, Box on the Beach, BodyFit Camp and Dirty Mudder.
All details can be found on our website jkhousetrainingcentre.co.uk
