Written by Lisa Baker
A Pontypridd gym built on community, encouragement and life-changing coaching has been recognised with a prestigious Community Gym of the Year award.
The accolade has been awarded to The TNT Hub, the popular fitness and coaching facility founded by former Welsh boxer and boxing coach Darren Wilson, whose career has seen him work with some of Wales’ biggest names in boxing, including two-time world champion Nathan Cleverly. Darren also coached a number of other successful Welsh fighters, including European Champion Jason Cook and went on to deliver training to other sports professionals at the top of their game before turning his attention to help everyday people improve their health, fitness and confidence at the TNT Hub.
“When The TNT Hub was born, my vision was never to build ‘just another gym’, but to create a place where everyday people felt they belonged.
“A place where complete beginners could walk through the door without feeling intimidated, and a place where experienced members could keep growing.
“My goal was to make coaching about more than physical training, but also building resilience, helping members to become healthier, stronger, happier and more confident for life.”
As memberships grew, Darren was later joined by fellow fitness coach, Rhys Davies, and the pair have created a well-equipped gym at the TNT Hub that offers motivation, support and advice alongside the high-quality gym equipment. Darren said:
“Rhys was the perfect person to join me at The TNT Hub, he’s one of those guys that is genuinely likeable as well as knowledgeable about fitness and training, and it’s worked really well, both for us and for our members.
“Rather than focusing solely on physical transformation, The TNT Hub has built its reputation on creating a welcoming environment where members of all ages and abilities feel supported from the moment they walk through the door.”
Darren is no stranger to awards, having already scored a number of them (not to mention helping his clients win World and European titles) in his prestigious coaching career.
In 2025 he was named Health and fitness Coach of the Year for the 4th year running, having also received both the Hall of Fame and the Legacy Awards in 2024. He also won the Sword Award from Phil Graham’s fitness entrepreneur for providing a great service to the health and fitness industry in 2022. It’s an impressive list of achievements.
Reacting to this latest award for the TNT Hub, Wilson said this represented far more than just another trophy, but was recognition of the supportive fitness community he has always wanted to build.
Darren explains:
“This recognises something we’ve been trying to build from day one – a real fitness community, and that means so much to all of us.”
Rhys added:
“The ‘Community Gym of the Year’ award recognises not only us as coaches, but the amazing group of people who come here and what we have created together.”
The duo explained how the culture within the gym is different and it has always been built around support rather than competition between members.
“No egos. No judgement.
“Just good people, all trying to become a better version of themselves.”
Darren concludes:
“Many of our members joined having never previously trained or stepped inside a gym, and they didn’t know anyone else. Over time, friendships have formed, confidence has grown and members now encourage one another through both achievements and setbacks – it is a caring, supportive community where members celebrate each other’s wins, pick each other up during the difficult weeks, and they all genuinely want to see everyone succeed.
“The environment we’ve all created together is making a genuine difference to people’s lives and I’m so grateful that Rhys joined me last year – we share the same mindset – we support our members and our members support each other, and it really works.
“The Community Gym of the Year award belongs as much to our members as it does to the coaching team – and a big thank you from us to all of them.”
At a time when many gyms compete purely on facilities and equipment, this Pontypridd-based fitness hub proves that creating an inclusive, encouraging community can be just as important as the training, equipment and workouts – the equipment is great, but the community brings the magic that makes it all work.
The TNT Hub is far more than somewhere to exercise—it has become a place to build friendships, improve mental and physical wellbeing, and gain the confidence to make lasting lifestyle changes. And as well as the community award, the member comments on their Facebook page, are proof it is working.
You can listen to them here: Watch Video
And you can learn more about the hub here: https://www.thetnthub.co.uk/