Keele University gym honours 90-year-old regular with lifetime membership

Tom Conroy has been a familiar face at Keele University's gym for more than 30 years - and at 90 years old, he's still going strong.

Tom has been working out in the gym at Keele University Sports Centre since 1993. He lives on the University's campus with Dorothy, his wife of 66 years, and spends around 90 minutes exercising in the gym every day, using the rowing, cycling and weight machines, before heading out for a long walk around the campus grounds, come rain or shine.

Having recently celebrated his 90th birthday, Tom is showing no signs of slowing down. And to mark the milestone and recognise his decades of dedication, staff at the University's Sports Centre have awarded Tom with a lifetime gym membership.

Tom said: "Keeping active and getting out in the fresh air gives me a feeling of wellbeing, both physically and mentally. I’ve just turned 90 and I’ve faced some health challenges along the way, but I've always kept exercising, even during the Covid pandemic, and that has got me through them. I’d recommend going to the gym to anyone.

"The gym at Keele has a very nice community feel. It's got all the equipment I need - although it is a bit more technological now than it used to be - and it's very well managed by the staff. After the gym, I enjoy getting out and walking around the University campus, especially by the lake and in the woods, which is one of my favourite spots.

"We're very fortunate to live where we do at Keele. I grew up a couple of miles away from the University and I remember coming here when I was a small child and seeing the American forces who were stationed at Keele Hall during the Second World War, and in 2001 I worked in the University's Chemistry Facilities Department for a period. It's a beautiful place."

Tom has been going to gyms for more than 52 years, with his passion for fitness beginning in childhood when his father, John Conroy, opened a boxing and keep-fit gym in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

"I wasn't part of the boxing club, but I joined the gym as a hobby, and it just went from there," Tom said.

In the 1970s, while living with his family in Audley, Staffordshire, Tom got talking to the local police officer, who told him there was nothing for children to do in the community. Determined to make a difference, Tom set about creating a place where young people could keep active and socialise.

Tom negotiated with the Boughey Arms pub in the village to use the disused village hall next door. Following an initial donation from Tom and a series of fundraising events to buy equipment, a boxing and keep-fit gym opened in 1975. The building's cellar was later cleared to create a Saturday morning youth club for teenagers.

Tom's son, Stephen Conroy, who works in Keele University's Estates team, said the family was incredibly proud of his dad.

Stephen said: "Dad has always believed in keeping active and getting on with life. I think his dedication to the gym reflects who he is - he's determined, positive and always keeps himself busy. At 90, he's still showing us all how important it is to keep moving, stay independent and make the most of every day. The whole family is incredibly proud of him."

John Chadwick, Keele University Sports Centre duty manager, presented Tom with a lifetime membership to the gym to celebrate his 90th birthday.

He said: "Tom's commitment to health and fitness is an inspiration to everyone who works here and to our gym members. He puts a smile on everyone's face, and we're so happy to have been part of his fitness journey for more than three decades.

"We were delighted to offer him a lifetime membership to the gym to celebrate his 90th birthday - a small way to recognise someone who has given so much to our gym community over the years."

Tom previously served as a school governor at Halmerend School and as an Audley Parish councillor. He is also a member of Longton Probus Club, where he co-founded a ramblers group more than 25 years ago. The group is still going strong, with members often walking around Keele University's campus.