A North East Pilates founder who set out to make the exercise “affordable and accessible for everybody” has struck gold at a national business awards ceremony.
Nicci Rowlands, from Denton, has won gold in the Health and Beauty category at the Best Businesswomen Awards 2026, adding to a growing list of accolades for her business PilatEASE.
The 48-year-old picked up the award at a ceremony at Daventry Court Hotel on Friday, October 16, just months after PilatEASE was named Studio of the Year 2026 at the Reformer Pilates Awards.
Nicci said she was “absolutely over the moon” after the latest award, which follows PilatEASE’s growth from one North East studio into a community-focused company with six sites.
She said: “When I started PilatEASE, I just wanted to make Pilates something everybody could enjoy, without the intimidation or nonsense.
“To now have six studios, a thriving Training School and such an incredible community is something I’m hugely proud of.
Founder Nicci Rowlands
“Winning gold at a national awards ceremony, alongside our Reformer Studio of the Year recognition, is just amazing.
“But what means the most is the difference we’re making to people’s lives and the opportunities we’re creating for others.
“None of this would be possible without our brilliant team and community. This award really is for all of us.”
She previously told The Northern Echo how she had slipped a disc while demonstrating what could go wrong during a kettlebell exercise and later discovered reformer Pilates while searching for something which could help her recovery.
From its beginnings in Denton, PilatEASE went on to expand across the North East, with studios in communities including Newcastle, Ryton, Morpeth, Consett, Whitley Bay and Seaham.
The company became a Community Interest Company in 2025, with profits reinvested into its studios and teachers as part of Nicci’s aim of keeping Pilates affordable and accessible.
Founder Nicci Rowlands
Her approach has centred on challenging what she sees as the intimidating and exclusive image sometimes associated with Pilates, with no dress codes or mirrors in her studios.
Nicci also set up the PilatEASE Training School after finding aspiring reformer Pilates instructors in the North East previously had to travel elsewhere to qualify.
The training school has since helped graduates establish more than 50 women-led businesses across the region, according to PilatEASE.
Best Businesswomen Awards judges praised PilatEASE’s growth, its “distinct community approach” and its move to become a Community Interest Company.
The Best Businesswomen Awards were founded in 2015 and recognise female business owners and women leading charities across the UK, with winners chosen by a judging panel.
Awards founder Debbie Gilbert said: “Behind every winning business is a woman on a mission who has taken risks, solved problems and worked hard to make her vision a reality.
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“These awards recognise what those women have achieved and the difference their work makes to customers, communities and the people they employ.”
The latest award comes as PilatEASE prepares to host PilatEASE LIVE at the Grand Hotel Gosforth Park on Saturday, November 14, bringing together Pilates enthusiasts, instructors and wellness professionals for classes and workshops.
PilatEASE became the first North East studio to win the Reformer Pilates Awards' Studio of the Year title, which was voted entirely by clients.