New stretch target
We have plenty of needs for extra funds...we will put anything extra towards insulation of the windows, strengthening the flooring and purchasing gym equipment. This will give us a big boost to help us open the gym earlier.
Repair an iconic disused church and convert it to a not-for-profit gym accessible to all, so improving health and wellbeing in the community
by Wheathampstead United Church in Wheathampstead, England, United Kingdom
We have plenty of needs for extra funds...we will put anything extra towards insulation of the windows, strengthening the flooring and purchasing gym equipment. This will give us a big boost to help us open the gym earlier.
Lots of people locally helped us enormously when we ran a crowdfunding campaign earlier this year. That made a big difference and enabled us to reinstate the electricity. Can you help us again please, this time so that we can insulate the ceiling?
How your pledge will help
This new CrowdFunding campaign can be match-funded pound for pound. So please make your pledge now to help us secure this fabulous opportunity – AND DOUBLE YOUR MONEY!
Why a gym?
There is a huge demand for a gym: there isn’t one in the village at present. Because of this, we have received massive local support. Many volunteers have helped us with jobs that don’t need to be done professionally, and many local firms have kindly provided their services on a cost only basis. In this way we are striving to keep our costs to a minimum.
What are the aims of the gym?
The need for a gym
In a 2018 survey two thirds of adult men and nearly two thirds of adult women were either obese or overweight.
Our village (population 6,500) is by southeast standards rural, a diverse community with private and council housing. We have a limited, daytime only, bus service to nearby towns.
We ran a survey and open days in 2018 to find the level of support for a community gym, which showed overwhelming backing. Gyms in nearby towns are very expensive (from £25 - £80 a month). People told us they couldn’t afford it or one was hard to get to or finding time was difficult. This will be on most people’s doorstep and easily reached on foot or by bicycle, reducing carbon emissions.
The gym will have equipment and an exercise space for a variety of classes. It will be not-for-profit, raising only enough to cover maintenance of the site and staffing, some of which will be by volunteers.
A Community project
This is a joint venture between the United Reformed Church and the community. The building is owned by the church who have worshipped elsewhere for 8 years. The gym will initially have a ten-year lease. We are creating a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) to manage the site and the gym. A management Committee has been formed.
The project has lots of grassroots involvement. A first crowdfunding campaign raised £5000 in three weeks. Over 400 took part in a poll to choose the name “The Chapel Gym”. Our current Crowdfunding campaign reached £5,000 in just 8 days and then was Match Funded by M&S Energy.
We have a gym manager working with us, with 25 years’ experience in the industry, who lives in the village. We also have County, District and Parish Councillors, the chairs of our Preservation Society and U3A, a local businesswoman, a fitness instructor and residents with marketing and fundraising experience. We can call on others with expert skills as needed, e.g. an architect, risk assessment specialist.
What we’re doing
So far, as well as the electricity being reconnected, urgent groundwork has been carried out and we have begun to redecorate the exterior. You may have noticed the newly painted front door – doesn’t it look magnificent?
Next up we need to repair the floor, insulate the ceiling. Then we can start to instal heating and a toilet, clean and decorate the interior, as well as pay the legal costs associated with setting up the gym.
Once these have been sorted, we can do the really exciting bits - purchase the gym equipment, engage staff and volunteers to run the gym and put up the signs to show we’re in business!
The details of the work
We are looking for further funding towards:
We will then move to the final phase of our project and raise money for the equipment.
How we want to achieve this
We’re taking great care to preserve the character of the building, maintaining the basic layout and protecting the stained glass windows.
It’s also very important to us that the gym is available to everyone, whatever their circumstances. The gym will be on one level with full wheelchair access. It will be not-for-profit and affordable to all, with any excess funds used to further redevelop the site including the church hall.
The outcomes
How much we’ve raised so far
The money we have raised so far, including the last crowdfunding campaign, comes to £24,500. In addition, many suppliers have provided their services for free or at discounted rates, saving us £22,500.
Rewards
As you’ll see we have some rewards open to everyone who pledges at least £25. Some of these rewards have been donated by a local business - Scoop Nutrition. We are very appreciative of their support.
Please help us to succeed.
We will spend every penny raised on improving the building so that it can be used as a gym.
We are determined to make this project successful so we all have the opportunity to improve our physical fitness and lead a more active lifestyle, while a historic building will be saved from demolition and given a new lease of life.
Thank you so much for supporting the Chapel Gym project – we are so grateful.
This project offers rewards in return for your donation