Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club faces an ax after almost 100 years

An east London weightlifting gym faces imminent closure after almost 100 years due to an eviction notice issued by a council.

The Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club, which claims to be the oldest in London, opened in 1926 and operates as a not-for-profit organisation.

Club members walked from the gym to Brick Lane on Sunday afternoon to collect signatures for a petition calling on the council to withdraw the Section 25 notice.

A spokesperson for London Borough of Tower Hamlets Council said: “We understand and appreciate the importance of the club to the community and we look forward to working with them to offer our support and ensure they can continue to be an organization appreciated in our district.”

Head coach Martin Bass said the expulsion notice, which was served in July, came as a surprise and “makes no sense”.

This means the gym will have to vacate the Bethnal Green Road premises – where it has been since 1948 – by January 31.

Charlotte Macaulay, paralyzed for months after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome in 2022, was among those participating in the march.

She said joining the gym last year had “really helped” her recovery and she could now lift 150kg.

“It definitely helped me get my muscle mass back and also mentally feel like I was actually doing something to help myself,” she said.

She said there were so many many women work out at the community gym – who also trains international powerlifters – felt “empowering”.

When she heard about the eviction, Ms Macaulay said she “broke down” but added that members were “all motivated to do something and show the council that this really matters to people “.

Also among the protesters was Yana Lyntovskyi, who fled Ukraine after Russia invaded the country in 2022.

She said she found a “second home” at the club.

“It’s a very important place for me and I’m very proud to be a part of it,” Ms Lyntovskyi said.

Her husband, Taras Lyntovskyi, said of the eviction notice: “It is very easy to destroy something – we understand that because we are Ukrainian – but to try to build something that is the same, it is not is not possible.”

British Paralympic powerlifter Ali Jawad, who trains at the club and won a silver medal at the 2016 Paralympics, said the club was “not just a gym, it’s a community”.

He added that its eventual closure would be “devastating”.

Mr Bass, who has run the club for around 50 years, said the current agreement with the council allowed the club to operate as a registered charity and allowed people who could not afford to pay to train for free.

“It serves the community. We have all the fashions of society – gender, race… old Cockneys – it doesn’t matter,” said the British powerlifter and Masters Classic trainer.

“Anyone who comes here, it’s a safe space. We don’t allow any nonsense here.”

Mr Bass added that the club’s group of administrators have received “as much buzz” from those who “come here and can’t lift anything and end up pulling 40 (kg)” as from “internationals who pull 350 (kg)”. “.

It is not clear what the council’s plans are for the premises.

“We’re going to make some noise,” Mr. Bass said. “The only thing I hope is that someone on the board takes note.”

The council spokesperson said authorities would contact the club to arrange a meeting in the new year.