Great Russell Street protest outside the world’s first YMCA

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save the world’s first YMCA club staged a flash-mob protest.

More than 60 people boogied to the famous song outside the Central YMCA in Great Russell Street yesterday, Thursday, clad in woolly jumpers and hats braving the freezing cold.

The Extra reported last month how the historic site and popular leisure facility is closing in February following a sale to Criterion Capital.

The property investment company is in the process of buying the building after trustees of the YMCA moved to sell, citing declining membership, rising operational costs, and increased competition.

The Save the YMCA club campaign is now calling for a six-month pause so that a long-term sustainable plan for a replacement facility can be worked out with the new owners.

Central YMCA zumba and salsa teacher Chris Pan, who organised the flash mob, said: “A lot of people live for my class which is great. You know it brings them so much joy, physically and mentally. I’ve got a lady who is 90 years old who comes to my class and she’s here today.

“The loss of the Central YMCA site is going to be a great loss to many people. It gives people so much pleasure to dance in my class. I want to raise awareness of the importance of the YMCA facilities… the YMCA is a community and all the people who attend my class are asking me where I’m going to go now, where am I going to teach?” He added: “The YMCA dance, it’s iconic. That dance was actually written about the YMCA. And this YMCA site is the first YMCA and it’s been here for over 200 years. It’s important and it needs to be saved.”

The Central YMCA site offers a wide range of facilities, from a 25-metre swimming pool, to exercise studios, a cycling studio and therapy rooms.

David Bieda, long-standing YMCA member, said that “what happens now is all in the hands of the Aziz family”. He added: “Looking at all these people who have turned out to dance, I didn’t realise there was going to be so many. You can see how much this place means to people, it’s in their faces, we all care, and we are all doing what we can to save it.”

The facility is also used by University College London Hospitals for muscular and cardiac rehabilitation after patient surgery and has one of the biggest older adults programmes in the world with over 900 members.

Film and TV producer Jenny De Jong said: “We keep on being told that mental health is deteriorating. This is a vital resource for people’s health, especially older people who can meet others, go for walks, have a cup of tea, as well as having all the things that the club offers. Every time we hear a story about the devastating effects on our NHS, places like the Central YMCA are saving the NHS money and the loss of the space, it’s going to cost the NHS money. There’s going to be a rise in depression when this closes, there’s going to be fewer opportunities to rehabilitate people after operations, it’s all going to cost money.”

Andrew Shields, from the campaign group, said: “One of the advantages that the YMCA campaign has is this iconic gym which everybody knows. It’s a massive advantage, it’s an easy way to raise awareness about the desperate campaign we’re trying to fight and win. The closure was announced with no consultation, no dialogue either with members or users, schools, community groups, UCLH and all the potential stakeholders, Camden Council, Westminster Council, GLA, bodies that should have been at least informed that there was a proposal to sell this iconic building.”

The campaign to Save the YMCA club comes just a few months after the sale of the historic Jubilee Hall gym in Covent Garden was announced by the Jubilee Hall Trust. It said the decision to let the site go had been taken to safeguard the charity’s future.

The Central YMCA said that the sale has been completed and that they are “going through a consultancy process”. They said they could not predetermine what would happen to staff but would retain as many as they were able to.

Criterion has not responded to any requests for comment from Extra.