An east London weightlifting gym faces imminent closure after almost 100 years due to being handed an eviction notice by a council. Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club, which claims to be the oldest in London, opened in 1926 and runs as a non-profit organisation. Club members marched from the gym down to Brick Lane on Sunday afternoon to collect signatures for a petition asking the council to retract the Section 25 notice.
A spokesperson for the council, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, said: "We understand and appreciate the club's importance to the community and are keen to work with them to offer support and ensure they can continue as a valued organisation in our borough." Head coach Martin Bass said the eviction notice, which was served in July, had come as a surprise and "makes no sense". It means the gym will need to leave the premises on Bethnal Green Road - where it has been in since 1948 - by 31 January.
Charlotte Macaulay, who was paralysed for months after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome in 2022, was among those who took part in the march. She said joining the gym last year had "really helped" with her recovery and she could now lift 150kg. "It definitely helped me get my muscle mass back and also mentally as well to feel like I was actually doing something to help myself," she said.
She said the fact that there were so many women training at the community gym - which also trains international powerlifters - felt "empowering". When she heard about the .
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