A MUM whose mum told her to do something “nice” with her inheritance is back in business with the fitness gym she funded with the money.
Mum-of-two Anna Prince, took on the Hydrofitness LadiesGym, unit 2, the BSC, in Hood Road, Barry, in August last year after her 72-year-old mum, Linda Prince died with the wish that her daughter would do good.
The former St Helen’s RC and St Richard Gwyn RC pupil was building the business, but then covid-19 forced the premises to shut down in March this year.
Now, Welsh Government first minister Mark Drakeford has confirmed that indoor fitness studios, gyms, swimming pools, gyms and leisure centres are able to re-open from Monday, August 10.
Hydrofitness LadiesGym comprises of a circuit of 12 pieces of equipment, with a set time on each rest station.
The circuit is designed to work whole body.
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Ms Prince, 41, of Barry, said: “I’d worked for the previous owner for a long time.
“She opened it and it was the first women only gym in Wales.
“It was the fastest growing gym in the world at the time when she opened it.
“She had so many members.
“She moved here - and I did the classes for her.
“I used to teach zumba and pilates and I’d work now and again as a fitness instructor.
“She was looking to sell the business when my mum passed away.
“She left us a bit of money - all of us.
“She had five daughters and I thought ‘Ooh, I know, what a good idea it would be to buy a gym?’
“I’m either really mad or really clever.
“My mum wanted us to do something good.
“We always talked about it.
“She would never sell the house because she wanted us to have money when she went.
“With my part of the inheritance I bought a gym.
“She told us to ‘do something nice with it’.”
Ms Prince took ownership and the lease of gym on August 1 last year.
“Within the first two months there was a 40 per cent increase in members,” she said.
“The women who come here are so lovely – it’s like a community vibe.
“The main demographic is women over 40, but we’ve got younger members as well.
“Everyone gets on.
“We’re all like a family.
“We just have a laugh.
“Covid was a nightmare,” she said. “There’s a lot of issues with a gym, but I was just about starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
“I never took a wage for myself.
“The month before covid struck I managed to pay myself a little bit of money.
“I thought ‘Oh, this going great' and then it struck - and I had a 50 per cent decline in members, but that’s what happens.
“We got the grant thankfully and that’s seen us through and me and Annemarie (friend and member) came in and gave it a lick of paint – a fresh start.
“It’s a relief to re-open.
“It went on for weeks and weeks – everything started opening – you can go and get your hair done or a massage or a facial – but you can’t go to the gym.
“It just didn’t make any sense.
“You can go to the pub, but you can’t go to the gym and they want people to be healthy.
“I’ve written my own covid procedures.
“We are restricting numbers every hour, but there’s plenty of room for everyone."
She added: “We get quite a few referrals from the women’s refuge.
“Women that don’t want to go to a mixed gym because they feel vulnerable.
“We get a lot of Muslim ladies as well because they can’t go anywhere where there’s men so they can work out in a safe space.
“’There’s no men; there’s no mirrors,’ - that’s our catchphrase.
“Not everyone wants to go to a gym where you have to dress up – it’s very relaxed.
“We just have a laugh, put the world to rights.
“It’s like an exclusive club.
“I’ve missed the women so much.
“It’s nice to see them again.
“We have our talks.
“We have a lady, she’s in her 70s, but she tells me about her dating exploits.
“We have ladies who discuss what types of gin they are going to have.
“We’re also big on mental health.
“I’ve developed something called Dancefit because I’m a qualified dance instructor.
“We’ve been doing it in the car park for weeks.
“They love it.
“It’s an amalgamation of every dance style you can think of.”
Hydrofitness LadiesGym is open from 7am to 7pm weekdays; and 9am to 1pm on weekends.
Booking is online, but message for new member induction sessions.
Email hydrofitnessladiesgym@gmail.com
Or search Facebook, Hydrofitness Ladies Gym or Insta Hydro_Fitness_Ladies_Gym
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