My Story
About Us
My story starts around 2011, I was just an idea, a spark in the mind.
My guardians, Jim and Ruth knew that they wanted better, much better training facilities in the area than what was currently on offer.
At this point in time Jim and Ruth were doing the family thing and generally going about their daily lives.
Jim was still working in construction, all the while continuing his “hobby” of going to the gym. He had of course been enjoying his “hobby” for a good while but had never taken it seriously. He also had no idea how this “hobby” was helping his general mood, but he knew he always felt better after a session and if he kept it up those feelings remained. The eureka moment won’t come for a while.
During this time, this idea, this dream of creating a wonderful, fantastic, cool, welcoming and inspiring gym was growing and developing in his mind.
While all that was happening, Ruth was working at one of the local academies in the role of the head of the reprographics department, she was the only one working in the reprographics department, but she ran it with her trademark efficiency and strong work ethic. So much so that in her free time she managed to complete a degree and hold down the fort at home, my work took me away from home.
How We Got here
So here they are, in 2011, both working jobs, which although they were good at and could do efficiently and effectively. They both wanted to do more with their time and their efforts.
Having both been keen gym goers, they would talk of some of the gyms they had been to in the past, and what an opportunity the current local facility was missing, this is in 2011 remember. And wondered if they could do better.
This is where the search began, they started looking everywhere for the right location to start realising their new dream. After searching high and low and looking at numerous premises, nothing felt quite right. On the off chance they spoke with a local estate agent about their plans, the first person outside of family to hear these plans. Well as it happens this turned out to be a very well-timed move. During a chat it emerged that he knew someone who may have the perfect space for you.
So, a phone call here, a conversation there a meeting was set to go and visit a joiner’s workshop on an industrial estate in Tain and have a chat with the owner to boot. So off they went to this meeting excited and nervous and hopeful that this was the end of the search stage and the beginning of the planning stage.
The planets must have been aligned that day, because they both fell in love with the building. After a couple moments of being in the building they could visualise their dream in this space as if it was already there. This was the spot. It had a good feel a vibe even. It was a building that was used to hard work, discipline and purpose.
When they met with the owner, he couldn’t have been more supportive of their plans and ideas and thought that it was a wonderful use of the space. He remains one of the nicest people that they have done business with. As luck would have it, the plans on how this should proceed were shared by all parties involved. All of us were happy.
We had to do a few mods before the new life began. A few bits out some new bits in this took about three months to complete my transformation to what you see today. I was ready to start my new job. There were just a few things to get.
Right on cue that’s when trucks and vans rolled in and started unloading all of this new stuff and installing all this new equipment.
So, after five years of searching and planning, in mid 2016 Jim and Ruth found me, a joiners workshop looking for a new life with new guardians.
And by the October of that year…
I, Unit 4a, Blarlaith Industrial Estate, Tain. Became Silverback gym and fitness and we’ve been growing together ever since.
Thank you for reading my story, have a good sesh and remember… love lifting.
Ps: Jim and Ruth say welcome too. x
Keep it in the family
“It’s the family you make, not the one you are born into, that matters.”
- Sarah j. Mass
Our Troop is our family, and everyone is part of the Troop.
Silverback Gym is a family run business, and we operate our gyms business like we do our family, with open minds, understanding and compassion. Words of advice, from lessons learned, is always there whether that’s for training or life in general.
Come in for a sesh and stay for a natter.
See you soon
Jim and Ruth xx
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