Community devastated as Peterborough gym specialising in helping the elderly and disabled set to close

Gym-goers in Peterborough have expressed their devastation at the news that the YMCA gym at The Cresset Centre in Bretton is to close.

A notice went out to all members last week informing them that the gym would close on May 4 due to ‘ongoing financial challenges’ making the operation of the gym ‘unsustainable.’

The gym has a large and supportive community of members, many of which are elderly and/or have various disabilities or mental health issues which regular exercise helps greatly to improve their quality of life.

In a visit on Wednesday morning (April 9), the Peterborough Telegraph met with a survivor of a stroke. named Phillip, who recounted his story of how attending the gym had helped his recovery.

He said: “Five years, I used to be in a wheelchair everywhere I went, even in my own home but I haven’t needed to for ages all thanks to this place. It is really good. This place really can’t close.”

The PT also met with Mary, an elderly deafblind lady, getting in her exercise on the treadmill.

Her communication guide told the PT: “Three times a week with her communicator guide she comes It is really important that she keeps her fitness up as she struggles with her Arthritis. It is a great place for her.

"If it were to close, we would have to take her to another gym, spend weeks or even months showing her where every single piece of equipment is when she already knows where things are here. It will be a lot for her.”

Many gym users have been left disappointed with the way the closure was suddenly communicated without any kind of consultation. As well as the gym floor, with a number of fitness machines, there is also an upstairs space for yoga, circuit and other fitness classes.

Gym user Ilaander Moreland said: “I came here nearly five years ago with a spinal injury. What I didn’t realise I was going to get with this gym was to find a real community.

“So many people here are disabled or have mental health issues but nobody looks at that, everybody is there to support one another with a feeling of friendship and no judgement.

“We are all absolutely broken hearted by the closure. There is nowhere else for any of us to go.

“We’ve had so many issues with this gym, we’ve had floods, water buckers everywhere, workmen but that never stops any of us coming. I have to take two buses sometimes but it doesn’t matter what you throw at any of us, we still keep coming.

“Unfortunately this has been taken out of our hands.

“This is such a community for everyone that attends, nobody is above anybody else and no one is isolated. You just won’t get that anywhere else.

"It’s so hard for even just one person who is disabled in anyway to go into a commercial gym. People who have mental health conditions will just not cope with being in large crowds you get there as well.”

The PT also spoke to a group of gym-users who had just finished a yoga sessions, who also shared their strong opposition to the closure of the gym.

One said: “Coming to the gym here is a social event as well. There are a lot of us pensioners that come and you get to know everybody. It is an atmosphere like no other gym; everybody looks out for each other. There are so many people that are going to miss out now. It should be run for the good of the community.”

Another added: “There is the social side of it as well. After you have finished the exercises, we go over to the pub, have a coffee and put the world to rights!

“I’m fitter now, because of the classes here and the support you get from the instructors, than I have been for years.”

A third said: “We do pay for this, the same rate as some corporate gyms out there as well. We were never even give the possibility to to see if we could improve the financial situation. I think all of us would have considered paying a bit more if we were given that option but we were not.”

A spokesperson for YMCA Trinity Group said: "YMCA Trinity Group can confirm that our gyms in Peterborough and Cambridge will be closing on May 4th due to sustained financial challenges that have made continued operation unsustainable.

“Despite ongoing efforts to maintain the facilities, rising operational costs and increased competition in the local fitness market have made it increasingly difficult to keep the gyms viable.

“We understand this decision will impact our members, staff, and the wider community, and we are committed to supporting those affected throughout this transition.

“Our priority is to ensure our employees and gym users receive the necessary guidance and support.

“YMCA Trinity Group remains dedicated to its core mission of supporting young people and communities through our wider programs."