Help Spiral Secure A New Home

Aim

Spiral Freerun needs to move to a right-sized space to survive rising costs. help us raise a £10,000 deposit to secure it.

Who are we?

For over 13 years, Spiral Freerun has been the place in Bedford where people come to move, fail, get back up, and keep going - kids, teens, adults, families, whoever walks through the door. We're not a big organisation. We're two directors, Jesse and Luke, and a community that's grown because people keep coming back.

Over that time we've built real coaching expertise, including deep experience working with the SEND and neurodiverse community, currently the vast majority of the people we coach are SEND or neurodiverse. We've also built partnerships with Sport England, Bedford Council, Big Issue, Gymnova, and Ollo PK along the way. But what matters most is what happens on the ground: a place where people come to move, build confidence, and belong.

Why are we crowdfunding?

Our current space has become unsustainable. It's genuinely bigger than we need, so we're paying over the odds on utilities, maintenance, and other overheads for space we don't use. That's on top of reduced business rates relief following local government changes, and a cost of living crisis that's forced some of our members to cut back on sessions simply because money's tight for everyone.

We're based in an area that's already facing real pressure, one of the more deprived parts of Bedford, where affordable, accessible places to be active aren't easy to come by, especially for disabled and neurodiverse families who often have fewer options elsewhere. Losing Spiral wouldn't just mean losing a gym for these families, it would mean losing one of the few places that's built around their needs.

Since sharing news of the move with our community, this is the kind of response we've had:

Kayleigh - Parent
"Daisy is absolutely gutted Spiral is moving. It's going to cause so much upset for SEN children. The Spiral community has given Daisy the one thing she has always lacked in her life, people who let her be herself, and her confidence has grown so much."

Jo - Parent
"Absolutely gutted at this news. Spiral means so much to us, I can't actually describe how important it has been, it's changed everything during a really tricky time for Timmy (and me!) But so pleased to hear sessions are planned to continue after the move, we'll definitely be signing up, we can't be without our parkour fix for the week!"

Spiral isn't shutting down. We just need a right-sized, more appropriate home.

We've secured provisional acceptance on a new space that fits where we are now, and we're finalising the details while keeping our options open to make sure it's the right call. Securing it means putting down a £10,000 deposit, and that's what this campaign is for.

For the past year, our directors have taken reduced and irregular wages to keep this service running rather than cut something our community depends on. That's not sustainable long-term, which is exactly why this move matters now, before it becomes a bigger decision than a change of address.

What we're building toward: A space Spiral can grow into properly, not just survive in. Room to keep expanding things like The Fix-It Course, welcome more home ed and SEND families without turning anyone away, and finally run this club on solid ground instead of directors quietly absorbing the shortfall every month.

Sophie - Parent
"He was the shyest 6 year old ever, he hated school as he struggles academically, he wouldn't get involved confidently in any after school activities. Since starting parkour classes he is literally a different child. He's gone up reading levels, he's gone up swimming levels, and he now puts in 100% effort to absolutely everything he does. I put it down to the confidence he's built through your classes."

How we'll spend the money raised

Every pound raised goes toward the £10,000 deposit needed to secure our new home. we will be creating our own pot of reserve funding to cover the cost of any additional costs such as solicitors fees, planning, storage facilities and labour costs. with the plan for the crowdfunder to reach as close to £10,000 as possible to give us a much needed headstart inside the new facility without taking up all of our reserve funding

Community impact

Spiral's impact goes well beyond parkour. We provide:

• A welcoming club for everyone who trains with us - regular classes for kids, teens, and adults of all abilities, giving people a consistent, supportive place to build fitness, confidence, and friendships, whatever their starting point.
• A dedicated space for the home education community - structured weekly sessions that give kids consistency and social connection outside the traditional school system. We also run The Fix-It Course, a weekly hands-on DIY skills course built specifically for home educated young people, giving them practical, real-world skills alongside movement.
• Specialist coaching for the SEND and neurodiverse community - the vast majority of the people we work with, supported by 13+ years of dedicated coaching experience and an approach built around patience and understanding, not a one-size-fits-all class structure.
• A home for the wider parkour and freerunning community across Bedford - from complete beginners taking their first steps to experienced athletes refining technique, all training side by side in the same space.
• A genuine community hub, not just a training venue - a place families come back to year after year for the people as much as the movement.

We don't have to tell you what Spiral means, our community already has:

Beth - Parent
"Highly recommend Spiral Freerun, it's more than just freerunning, it's family. They really care about what they do and will look after your child (or you)."

Lynsey - Parent
"Spiral is fantastic for my boys, clear instructions broken down to their level of understanding. The other children are really lovely, they all support each other, it's such a great atmosphere each week."

Losing this space wouldn't just affect the families who need extra support, it would take away a place that regular members, families, and everyday freerunners have built their routines and friendships around too.

How supporters can help

There are five simple ways to help us reach our target and make this move a reality.

• Make a pledge. Don't delay if you're going to support us - momentum is key to our success!
• Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we'll get.
• Offer rewards. Get involved if you're a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters.
• Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser - maybe a sponsored activity or similar - use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won't need any bank details. Just a fun idea!
• Put us in touch. Know someone who could help us find our new home? We're especially keen to connect with anyone in property, finance, sponsorship, schools, solicitors, or building and planning, a warm introduction could make all the difference in getting us over the line.

From us - Jesse and Luke: this isn't an easy thing to ask for help with. But we'd rather ask honestly than watch something we've spent years building slowly get squeezed out by rising costs. Thank you for reading this far, and thank you for whatever support you can offer.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 12th November 2026 at 12:42pm