Health club operator Fitness First has had the first group of its clubs accredited through the Inclusive Fitness Initiative's (IFI) National Sports Foundation (NSF) Programme.

The chain has become one of the first major operators in the commercial sector to commit to the programme. So far a total of 24 Fitness First clubs have been accredited to the scheme.

As part of the accreditation process personal trainers have been offered training at levels two and three of the IFI training programme to allow them to suitably train disabled members.

Fitness First has also worked closely with its equipment suppliers to have a selection of machines which are IFI accredited.

John Gamble, Fitness First managing director said: "Fitness First is committed to making the world a fitter place with no exclusions and we are pleased to be making these changes with immediate effect.

"It is a landmark step forward for the fitness industry and we are proud to be the first major health club group to offer this."