Cash-strapped Ability Bow therapy gym holds open day ‘debt’ workout

A therapy gymnasium that helps people in London’s East End with injuries or chronic conditions to recover is having to recover itself from chronic debt to stay alive.

The Ability Bow gym is holding a fundraising open day tomorrow because it needs its own £45,000 therapy quick fix to work its way out of debt—it has already come close to closing down twice.

GPs and hospitals including Mile End and the Royal London send patients to the Monday-to-Friday sessions held at St Paul’s parish church in Old Ford.

These include people recovering from head injury or chronic health conditions such as MS, cerebral paulsy, osteoparosis, asthma and strokes.

But founder Victoria Kent needs funds to maintain the costly individual one-to-one sessions at £60 an hour—she only charges £4.50 to the 400 registered at the gym, the rest having to come from whatever fundraising she manages.

Supporters enter the London Marathon each year in April and an annual fun run in Victoria Park in November to support the gym.

But it is still £45,000 short to keep the treadmill going for the rest of the year.

Tomorrow’s open day includes massages, free health checks, exercise demonstrations, healthy living advice and healthy cake stalls, from 3pm to 7pm at St Paul’s Church in St Stephen’s Road, Old Ford, behind Roman Road Market.