Ability Bow therapy gym fights £45,000 budget shortfall with an open day
Margaret White gets health check from gym trainer Mohammed Dahiri - Credit: Archant
A therapy gymnasium that helps people with injuries or chronic conditions to recover is having to recover itself from chronic debt to stay alive.
The Ability Bow gym held a fundraising open day in east London yesterday, welcoming the public to show 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.
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Supporters are entering this year’s London Marathon next month, as they have been doing for several years, and taking part in an annual fun run in Victoria Park in November to help the gym meet its debts.
Ability Bow needs £45,000 to keep the treadmill going for the rest of the year.
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Yesterday’s open day included massages, free health checks, exercise demonstrations, healthy living advice and healthy cake stalls at the gym run at St Paul’s Church in St Stephen’s Road, behind Roman Road Market.
