Last class for gym-users
USERS of a popular community gym have been booted out of their council-run base – after falling victim to funding cuts.
Up to 100 members of the Workers' Educational Association of Stoke (WEA) gym held their last class at Shelton Youth Centre yesterday.
They have been forced to leave because Stoke-on-Trent City Council is no longer staffing the centre in the day.
Now the WEA is moving its classes to North Staffordshire YMCA from next week.
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The gym is particularly popular with Asian women and people who do not like to use private, commercial gyms.
WEA community health education project manager Clare-Marie White said: "We're very sad to say goodbye to the centre.
"We were very worried when the council first told us we had to leave the youth centre. Moving means that we really have had to start from scratch to rebuild that confidence with our users and the sense of community.
"We need a reasonably large space to house our gym equipment and there are not that many in Shelton."
Gym-users were yesterday sad to be leaving the youth centre.
Shiyalini Mohan, aged 23, who is originally from Sri Lanka and now living in Blurton, attended the Mixed Health and Fitness Course for two-and-a-half years.
She said: "I love coming here.
"I have great friends in the group and it makes me really happy."
Ken Humphries, aged 73, of Tittensor, who joined the class with his wife to help with her arthritis, said: "We will attend the classes at the YMCA but we're hoping the social aspect of the courses won't change."
Fazilat Jan, aged 53, who lives within walking distance of the youth centre in The Avenue, said: "I'll have to get someone to take me to the YMCA.
"I'm sad it's closing here because I learned to speak English and sew at a WEA class after moving from Pakistan."
Fitness tutor Samantha Wright said: "The classes are run to help educate learners about health and fitness, as well as providing a free gym.
"I don't know how it's going to work at the YMCA because we may have to mix in with the other gym-users there."
The council has declined to comment on the future of the youth centre building.
Shelton Youth Centre was set to be closed earlier this year because of funding cuts only to be later reprieved.
Comments
by fegghayesman
Sunday, September 30 2012, 12:50AM
“The council workers need to unite to clear these bullying scum from our city once and for all. The leadership of the council only get away with this because the council employees let them. Organise, bring the entire bloody workforce out.
This corrupt leadership is about to embark on another round of redundancies, so the workers should stand up to them, and one of the ways to stand up to them is by making public their incompetence and criminality. Lots of people round the city want to see this council leadership brought down, help us by supplying ammunition to use against them.
It really won't take that much to turn this city round once the right people are in place, so don't let this get you down my friend, let it infuse you with righteous anger. :)”
by thomaslk
Sunday, September 30 2012, 12:11AM
“Fegghayesman, you are so right that the person that was in charge of children's services, swanned in and swanned out with a massive pay off, it's so unfair when the real worker's in the Council that actually do all the hard work, have their jobs deleted, get wage cuts and are dismissed for no good reason! I was appaled and devastated to see this woman gain all that tax payers money it's absolutely shocking. I gained a redundancy package after 32years loyal service who gave 150% to everything I did for a lot less than my annual salary.
I have seen people treated like scum of the earth and discriminated against, I have seen money and resources wasted and people behave in a terrible way in and out of work and are still employed and are still wasting tax payers and rate payers money. I was also treated like a scumbag even though I worked so hard and never stepped out of line. I feel so much sorrow and pain for the people that have used the facilities and looked after the building s, resources and equipment, oh and the Council did not put anything in to support the WEA, they even got an amazing group of disabled young people to leave the Shelton Centre leaving them with nowhere to go to socialize and meet up for activities. When will the people of Stoke-on-Trent fight back and not allow this Council to walk all over us????????”
by fegghayesman
Saturday, September 29 2012, 9:09PM
“It's sad top see yet another service disappear from the city, especially as Shelton already lost its pool, despite the city council having a general fund that now exceeds £7 million, but you're in good company Thomas. These pocketliners of the council took £13,500 from library services for the blind as a saving, then give that blonde haired ponce from Devon nearly a quarter of a million pounds in salary!
And all the top pigs at the council have their snouts in the trough. Whilst our historic buildings are closed after being allowed to fall into ruin, they are put up for sale by the scum who are systematically reducing this city to a demolition site.”
by thomaslk
Saturday, September 29 2012, 7:48PM
“I was a worker at Shelton Youth Centre that assisted in the WEA setting up the gym for the local community to use free of charge!
It saddens me deeply that the City Council again due to budget cuts blame the centre not being staffed during the day! The centre has had thousands of pounds spent on renevation and modernisation to make it a welcoming centre for the youth of today and for the community to benefit from a space that could be well used. The Shelton centre had the most income from the use of the rooms and facilities, however again due to budget cuts people in the community were asked to vacate the rooms they hired out so the council could accomodate more office space for other departments within the Council. Why does the Council wish to spend and in my opinion waste rate payers money on a new build in Hanley when again thousands have been spent on the Civic Centre. Does this Council ever consider the real people in the community and thier own lifestyles, the WEA had an amazing amount of people benefitting from the facilities at the Shelton centre. I know the culture within this neighbourhood and the local community felt comfortable and welcome. The staff from the WEA are professional, trustworthy people who would have managed to gain access to the building without the need of a member of staff needing to be there to let them in. The City Council has closed too many buildings to the local community and it enrages me when I know the wasting of funds that has been spent on these buildings then they just close them as they think it will save them money and they sell them off for a pitance. Come on City Council get your act together and support the people that pay your salaries!!!!!!!!!!!”