The Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) has issued a defiant rebuttal to online rumours that it is close to collapse, saying that 2016 will be a “year of transformation” for the Register.

REPs – which is used by exercise professionals to administer their public liability insurance and says it has more than 30,000 current members – was earlier this week subject to a wave of internet speculation over its future.

In a statement posted to the REPs website last night (6 April), the body said there was no truth in the conjecture that it was about to close and insisted that it is “going strong.”

“Lately there has been untrue rumours spread by poor imitators perhaps – you tell us and we’ll put the facts straight,” said the statement to REPs members.

“So far we have just been doing what we do best – run a service for you. You have told us that you want to keep the costs down and focus on key insurance benefits, so our costs are amongst the lowest of any professional registration membership. So we haven’t spent your money on PR consultants, rumour mongering, constant Twitter feeds, lies, lobbying and misquotes.”

The post went on to suggest that REPs would soon launch a Member Satisfaction Survey 2016 to allow exercise professional to have their say on the register and help shape its future.

REPs is part of SkillsActive – the sector skills council for Active Leisure and Wellbeing. SkillsActive was dealt a blow in December, when the government’s Sports Strategy named the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) as the organisation that DCMS and Sport England should work with to raise skills standards in the sport and physical activity sector.

Since then, SkillsActive and REPs have kept a low profile, with only sporadic updates to their websites and social media channels. However, the latest posting says there will be updates in the coming weeks, with the REPs statement concluding: “We are by far the UK’s largest exercise professional registration body, and throughout 2016 we will continue to attract recognition within the UK, allowing us to grow our offers to members.”