MEET THE TEAM
Neil Smith
Fully Comprehensive
Cat Proudfoot
Fully Comprehensive
Hayley Graham
Fully Comprehensive
Claire Winsper
Fully Comprehensive
Katy Partridge
Mat & Reformer
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.
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 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).
Neil Smith
After experiencing back problems from an early age and undergoing two spinal operations in 2001 and 2003, Neil was advised by a physiotherapist to try Pilates. Within just a few sessions, he noticed a significant reduction in back pain, improved posture, and greater ease in everyday movement and daily tasks.
The impact Pilates had on his life was so profound that, in 2004, Neil decided to train as a Pilates teacher himself. Neil completed his initial training with The Pilates Institute in 2004.
In 2012, he began four years of further study with Karin Locher, a second-generation teacher, through Contrology Pilates Method Education — one of only two UK schools accredited by the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA).
After suffering a gymnastics-related back injury at the age of 10, Cat Proudfoot began practising Pilates in 2009 at the age of 21. Unlike other forms of movement she had experienced, Pilates encouraged integration rather than isolation, helping her develop greater connection, awareness, and stability within her hypermobile body. With a lifelong interest in movement, Cat found that Pilates not only supported her physically, but also helped her grow in confidence.
Cat completed her Matwork training with Sasha Caddell through The Pilates Foundation in 2015, before qualifying as a fully comprehensive apparatus teacher in early 2019 and gone on to work with multiple second generation teachers such as Hana Jones, Maria Earle and Sonje Mayo.
Since 2022, she has served as a board member for The Pilates Foundation and continues to participate regularly in CPD workshops to keep her teaching informed, current, and evolving.
Cat prides herself on creating a supportive and empowering environment for every body that comes through the door. Her teaching combines Hanna somatic movement with the Classical Pilates repertoire, helping clients move more freely and confidently not only in class, but in everyday life as well.
Cat Proudfoot
Hayley
Graham
Having practised Pilates on and off for over 25 years, Hayley always found herself returning to it during times of injury and life’s challenges. Pilates helped her reconnect with both her mind and body, bringing strength, balance, and a sense of wellbeing. Inspired by the positive impact it had on her own life, she decided to retrain as a Pilates teacher so she could help others experience the same benefits.
Some of the most inspiring teachers Hayley had worked with were trained through The Pilates Foundation, making it the natural choice for her own training. She qualified as a Comprehensive Pilates Teacher (Mat and Apparatus) in May 2022.
Hayley’s first introduction to Pilates came in her early twenties through a Body Control Pilates DVD. It was unlike any movement practice she had experienced before, with its emphasis on alignment, precision, and control — and she was instantly hooked.
Her classes are designed to flow, combining classical Pilates exercises with contemporary adaptations to create sessions that are both challenging and enjoyable. Through thoughtful layering, clear cueing, and progressive movement, Hayley aims to help clients move with greater ease, feel more connected to their bodies, and leave each class with a genuine sense of achievement.
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
Winsper
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.
This lovely bunch completed their Matwork training in March 2025.
Lydia, Rebecca, Lucy, Katy and Louise will be teaching classes here and there at the studio.
We have a new cohort of trainees commencing their apparatus training in May 2026 and you'll no doubt be seeing them in the studio as they commence their observing and assisting hours.
Mat
Teachers
ARE REFORMER 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.