Outdoor fitness specialist British Military Fitness (BMF) has taken the radical step to rebrand its business, after partnering with celebrity survivalist Bear Grylls.

The new name – Be Military Fit – is part of a strategy to expand the brand to new audiences, including those who are currently inactive.

Retaining its old acronym, BMF’s new vision is to 'Get the Nation Fit for Life' and will see the company introduce "an innovative outdoor fitness offering", inspired by its military-style workouts.

The new company will be jointly owned by venture capital firm NM Capital and Bear Grylls Ventures – which manages all television, film, books, licensing and endorsement deals for Bear Grylls.

“BMF has such a special heritage with military personnel and many veterans, and I’m so proud to co-own BMF and to be joining this incredible family," said Grylls.

"I used to train so much with BMF in the days before I joined the Reserve SAS and I will always be grateful for their encouragement and support that helped me achieve my fitness goals.

"Our goal as a team now is to take this business to the next level and to a whole new generation, including kids and families – knowing that when we train together, we train better and more consistently.

"As Europe’s largest outdoor fitness company, we aim to expand our programmes to a broader market and then take BMF and its values all around the world.”

Operating at sites across the UK, many of BMF’s fitness sessions will continue to be led by ex-military personnel.

BMF is Europe’s largest outdoor fitness company training 30,000 people a year across 140 sites.

The move comes just a week after Bear Grylls opened his first, branded visitor attraction in Birmingham.

Developed in partnership with Merlin Entertainments, The Bear Grylls Adventure cost £20m to build and will be operated by Merlin under license until 2026.