Javeno McLean

As the founder of the award-winning J7 Health Centre in Blackley, North Manchester, with the help of £69,000 of National Lottery funding, Javeno has transformed his gym into a sanctuary where movement and laughter take centre stage. Javeno has worked with elderly people suffering from Long Covid, those with memory issues, as well as disabled young people and their carers. Regardless of what Javeno’s clients might be going through, his aim is to make all of it fall away during their time inside his gym, and to brighten their day through movement and laughter. His larger-than-life persona has captured the hearts of millions around the globe, garnering him millions of social media followers.

For Javeno, strength isn’t exemplified by muscle but by the courage demonstrated by one of his departed clients, an Irish lady who he affectionately dubs ‘Auntie Veronica’. He tells of how she broke the news to him pre-class one day, that she had a cancer diagnosis, and the prognosis was bleak. 20 minutes later she was the life and soul of the class again, having found the strength to put this to one side. For Javeno, the very notion of strength is epitomised by Auntie Veronica’s performance that day.

Javeno McLean said: “I'm dealing with people every day that are in pain that have been situations that I wouldn't wish on anyone, and yet they don't complain. They don't moan, they just crack on and I think that’s a lesson everybody should embrace."

"What I'm doing now, with my gym and the help of National Lottery funding is powerful and it's changing not just my community or my city or the country, it's changing the world every single day. People from around the world are getting inspired as a result of my daft energy and what I'm doing. That's enough for me, and as long as that continues, I'm a happy man.”