Friends launch fundraising campaign to help Banbury gym survive Covid-19 lockdowns

Gym 180 offers a variety of ways to keep fit, including a junior boot camp when it's open to the public

Jude Gaal and Catherine 'Cat' Tyler started the campaign to help ensure the Rob and Charlotte Allen can reopen their community gym called Gym 180 when the lockdown finishes.

The two women set up a GoFundMe web page to help the local gym after it was forced to close. Hopefully a successful fundraising campaign will help the gym survive the lockdown and reopen to the public.

Jude said: "It is so much more than just a gym they have built. It’s a community.

Graham Sims and Cat Tyler sparring with each other at Gym 180 in Banbury.

"They have only been able to open 21 days out of the last three months, but the bills remain the same.

"We have set up a GoFundMe page, and for every £1 somebody donates Rob and Charlotte will have do do a burpee.... the target is currently £2000. For anyone that has ever done a burpee, 2000 in one go is one hell of a mission."

They are just over 50 per cent towards their £2,000 target.

Anyone who would like to contribute can use the following GoFundMe web link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/gym-180-burpee-come-backb

A fundraising campaign has been launched to help keep fitness activities like going at Gym 180 after the lockdown

The Gym 180 is located at Unit 3, Mallorie House, Beaumont Road, Banbury. For more information about the gym see their website here: https://www.gym180uk.com/For Jude, Gym 180 is much more than just a gym. It's truly impacted her life.

She added: "I personally started doing PT sessions with Rob in 2018 before they moved to open their own gym and he completely transformed the way I feel about exercise.

"He adapts all of his plans so they work for his clients rather than trying to make his clients work around him. With his support and guidance I’ve not only lost a lot of weight but my strength and confidence are unrecognisable.

"I not only now feel more confident in myself having lost weight I also would happily walk into any weight section of the gym now without even hesitating and I know a lot of the people who also train with rob and Charlotte feel the same.

"They do incredible work for children with their junior boot camp and junior Muay Thai as well as for adults. In the junior boot camps, they make workouts so much fun that the children don’t even seem to realise it’s exercise.

"They have weekly workout competitions with the members, personal best boards so we can celebrate each other’s achievements. The encouragement all the members give to each other is like no other gym I have ever experienced."