About – Bristol Co-operative Gym

Commercial gyms are designed to maximise profit, not fitness or well-being. Conventional fitness culture attempts to shame us into gym membership and creates exclusionary environments that prevent us from attending.

Our gym is the solution. A not-for-profit co-operative space that supports an approach to fitness unique to each member.

Since 2016, we have trained with over 1,000 people in parts of the city with limited access to health and fitness facilities.

In October 2021, we moved to a space in St Anne’s House run by Bricks – a social enterprise supporting local and creative communities in Bristol.

We have always dreamed of designing a gym from scratch, and now had the opportunity to do so. We began a unique, collaborative design process between our members, coaches, architects 2A1M, and experts in accessible, inclusive and community-engaged approaches to fitness.

As the first gym of its kind, we believe this model holds great promise for removing common barriers to gym-based physical activity and hope that Bristol Co-operative Gym can become a pioneering example of a new form of community-led centre for social physical activity.

BCG is a different way of doing a gym. It’s fun and supportive. There are no mirrors and the emphasis is on you achieving your goals in a safe and friendly environment.

Aims

To build a culture of non-judgement and celebration of each other’s progress
To build a supportive and inclusive culture, free from assumptions about identity and appearance
To empower people to create healthy training habits
To engage people who are excluded from most training facilities
To provide high quality coaching and training facilities
To have fair pricing models, remaining as affordable as possible
To be a financially sustainable organisation, free from reliance on external funding
To work with local community groups to improve our offer and accessibility for all members of our local communities. Further, we wish to reach out to communities most likely to feel excluded from mainstream commercial gyms.
To empower people to improve their own physical and mental well-being

Objectives

To make best use of our equipment and resources through well-attended sessions
To continue to improve our offer through increased number and diversity of sessions
To use accessible venues and work towards a secure tenure
To employ professional class leaders with a fair wage and fair contracts