MEET THE TEAM
Neil Smith
Fully Comprehensive
Cat Proudfoot
Fully Comprehensive
Hayley Graham
Fully Comprehensive
Claire Winsper
Fully Comprehensive
Katy Partridge
Fully Comprehensive
ABOUT MARGATE PILATES STUDIO
Margate Pilates Studio was established in 2018 by Neil Smith and Cat Proudfoot to provide Pilates classes for all. Having both taught in Margate for around 4 years, and realising Neil was the first Pilates teacher Cat had ever been to, it made sense to work together to create a dedicated space for Pilates in Margate.
We keep our classes small to ensure the highest standard of teaching for any body of any ability. We wouldn't have it any other way.
Our fully comprehensive teachers are registered members of the Society of the Pilates Method - a regulating body in the UK
Neil Smith
Having had back issues from an early age & 2 spinal operations in 2001 & 2003, a Physiotherapist recommended Pilates. After a few sessions Neil’s back pain was almost gone, through sitting and standing with better posture and finding everyday tasks and movement so much easier. It worked so well that in 2004 Neil decided to become an Pilates teacher.
Neil trained with the Pilates Institute and qualified as an instructor in 2004. In 2012, Neil spent four years studying with Karin Locher (2nd generation teacher) from Contrology-Pilates-Method Education, one of only two UK schools accredited by the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA).
Read an interview with Neil to find out more
Cat Proudfoot
Having suffered with back pain after a gymnastics injury at the age of 10, Cat started practising Pilates in 2009. PIlates intergrated her movement rather than isolating it and the more she practices the more connection she finds in her hypermobile body. She has always had a keen interest in movement and found Pilates not only supported her body better, but she grew in confidence too.
Cat completed her Matwork training with Sasha Caddell through the Pilates Foundation in 2015 and went on to qualify as a fully comprehensive teacher on the apparatus in early 2019. She has been a member of the board for the Pilates Foundation since 2022 and partakes in many CPD workshops to keep her practice up to date.
She has gone on to qualify as a Somatics teacher, Somatics uses the mind-body connection to help you survey your internal self and listen to signals your body is sending about areas of pain, discomfort, or imbalance. These practices allow you to access more information about the ways you hold on to your experiences and emotions in your body. READ MORE
Cat prides herself on providing a supportive and empowering environment for any body that comes through the door. Working on functional movement to not only assist you in class, but also in everyday life, as well as your Classical Pilates repertoire.
Hayley Graham
I have done Pilates for 25 years on and off - I always came back to it to get me through injuries and life’s challenges. It helps me connect my mind and body and feel amazing. I decided to retain as a Pilates instructor to pass this feeling on!
Some of the most amazing teachers I have had were trained by The Pilates Foundation - so it was an obvious choice for me to do my training with the same organisation, qualifying as a Comprehensive teacher ( Mat apparatus ) in May 2022
My first taste of Pilates was when I was in my early 20’s via a Body Control DVD. It was a very different way to move compared to anything I had done before, with the focus on alignment, precision and control. I was hooked!!
I plan my classes to flow and be both challenging and fun. They are a combination of classical exercises and more contemporary adaptations, layering queuing and progressions. I want clients to feel more ease in their bodies and have a sense of achievement at the end of each class .
Claire Winsper
Whilst recovering from a back injury Claire began classes with Cat and was immediately hooked! She is now fully qualified as a Mat work and Apparatus teacher. Claire trained with Sasha Caddell under the Pilates Foundation. She has been mentored by Cat along the way and hopes to bring a like minded approach to her classes.
After a 25 year performing career in dance, Pilates has helped Claire heal her body and rediscover the joy of moving. Pilates has bought a huge sense of well-being, and a wonderful community in which to play and develop and being able to share that with others through teaching is a gift.
Claire is a member of the Society for the Pilates Method - a regulating body in the UK.
Katy Partridge
“Increasingly these days, time to get out of your head and into your body is essential. Learning how to drop down, separate yourself from thoughts and feel centred, strong and connected to and in your body - no matter what’s happening around or for you - is a superpower.
For me, pilates is a chance to practice this; a moving meditation with my body and breath, whilst building strength and length.
Expanding on my Pilates training (qualified in mat and reformer with Balanced Body in 2018), i also bring together self-taught elements of somatic experiencing, polyvagal theory and mindfulness to offer clients a safe space to practice coming back to and feeling great in their bodies; either 1:1, online or in groups.”
ARE REFOMER CLASSES SAFE?
The true benefits of the Pilates Method lie in its value as preventative exercise. It takes a significant time to learn how to teach it well and requires continuing professional development post qualification. It is a holistic method of exercise that helps restore the overall balance and freedom of movement of the human body, not just a series of exercises to make you look good. The Reformer is only one part of a range of equipment used during a Pilates Studio class.
It is possible to do a whole class on the Reformer alone, but to do that the individual needs to already have a well-developed awareness and understanding of how the movements weave together from the inside out, in coherence with the nature of the human body. The exercises on the Reformer, however, are part of a whole body of work that connect together in a cohesive, developmental way. It is not a piece of gym equipment.