International pole dancing star launches a new venture just outside Birmingham & its full of wellbeing

Commercial property agents John Truslove have helped an international pole dancing star open a new venture in the West Midlands, just outside Birmingham.

Jade Bensilum’s love of pole and aerial work has seen her travel the world over the last decade, performing and teaching. She and her husband Ollie Read, originally from Essex and Surrey, decided to move to the West Midlands for its central location three years ago. But then came Covid 19.

Despite the setback she and Ollie, who is a personal trainer are back on track to launch her first aerial fitness studio called Studio Flare. It is based a unit on the Ridgeway Trading Estate in Astwood Bank, near Redditch, where they will be  coaching private clients during the day and running group classes in the evening.

Jade, aged 33, said: “We met eight years ago when I was competing in the Miss Pole Dance UK competition that was being held at the same venue as the Mr Fitness event. The rest is history and we’ve been married nearly two years now. I started running classes online, which has proved enormously popular, and I now have clients all over the world, including Germany and Kuwait,” said Jade.

After Covid they started looking for studio premises again. “I found somewhere that was being handled by John Truslove. It didn’t work out but Ben Truslove, the joint managing director, really understood what we were looking for and suggested a vacant unit on the Ridgeway Trading Estate. Ben was great to work with and always made himself available when we needed to look around the unit.”

Ben Truslove, representing landlord Midpark Capital, secured Jade a five-year lease on the 943 sq ft Unit D, at 10-12 Ridgeway Trading Estate, on Feckenham Road in Astwood Bank, just south of Redditch.

“It was a bigger unit than the original one – and cheaper – so it was ideal,” said Jade. “We’ve spent the last few months fitting a new floor and installing new equipment - such as poles and hoops – for aerial work that people may have seen in Cirque de Soleil or the movie The Greatest Showman.”

Jade, who has competed internationally, including placing in the Top 5 in the World Championships in 2019. “I have pupils aged from their teens to their 50s – there is even a world champion in her 70s – and it is wonderful watching them gaining the fitness and strength to perform in just a couple of weeks. They gain flexibility and always have a lot of fun.”

As well as a finalist in a string of international and national competitions, Jade is also a regular on event judging panels and she is qualified to train other pole dance trainers through the Xpert Fitness programme. She also co-owns three professional competitions in the UK with business partner Stacey Snedden - Pole Theatre UK, Exotic Generation UK and the new Elite Pole Championships.

Ben Truslove, joint managing director at John Truslove, said: “This was something unusual for us, but Jade was very clear on what she needed in terms of premises. It was a delight to be able to help her find the right place for her first studio. “This recently refurbished unit was the perfect fit for her purposes. We hope to see Studio Flare go from strength to strength over the coming years.”