00:00 You've been members of the gym for quite a long time.
00:04 How did you feel when you got the news that there were plans for this to close?
00:10 I was, I got a big shock because I feel like this facility has been part of my life since before it was DW.
00:20 I remember it when it was called JJB Sports.
00:23 So I've been coming, I haven't been a member all that time.
00:26 I was a member for JJB and then my circumstances changed and then I came back as a member for DW before lockdown.
00:34 And then after lockdown it became Everlast.
00:40 I come probably to six or seven classes a week between swimming, yoga, aqua fit, pilates.
00:50 And I think it is a big part of my life and in respect of the lack of facilities, particularly for, can I say, the over 50s,
01:01 there is very little for us to do apart from the outdoors.
01:04 And having an indoor facility is finding it really easy.
01:09 And for me, I find it really helpful. It's helped me personally in my health and rehabilitation.
01:16 I had a lot of mobility issues and I have been able to improve my health considerably by coming here.
01:25 I also come at least five days a week to several classes some days, whether it's aqua fit or yoga or various classes.
01:38 And I just find it so helpful.
01:40 I was really shocked when we read in the newspaper.
01:43 And I was more shocked by the staff because the staff knew nothing about this.
01:48 And when we contacted the manager, checked with the head office and then we established that apart from giving up the lease,
02:00 Everlast were actually looking to improve the facilities and invest up to a million pounds worth into this in the future.
02:10 So it was really quite a shock for everybody, especially those members of staff who have got young families and more of just faith.
02:18 And for us that are older members, we've become quite a community and we do all sorts of things together.
02:26 It's not just a gym. In this particular gym, you're made to feel like you're part of the community.
02:32 You're not made to feel like you stand out because you're disabled or you're bigger or you're not a body beautiful.
02:40 So it's different from other gyms.
02:42 What is that you wouldn't be able to find in other gyms?
02:46 Because we were talking about accessibility of the pool, for instance.
02:49 So can you tell me a bit about why you wouldn't be able to have the same benefits in other facilities?
02:56 Yeah, well, I've been a member in a variety of other gyms and so there's a different feel here about it.
03:03 But also from the physical things, if you've got arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis or fibromyalgia,
03:11 you wouldn't be able to go down ladders into a swimming pool or get yourself back out of the swimming pool.
03:17 For instance, at Aquadome or Culloden pool or various other pools.
03:21 With the pool here, you can actually walk into it in normal steps with a handrail.
03:27 So it makes it accessible for disabled people and people with mobility issues.
03:32 The temperature of the pool is also kept higher so that for babies or people who are disabled,
03:39 they find it much more comfortable.
03:41 So I think from that point of view, it's definitely much more accessible.
03:45 And also, I think in the current climate where everybody's looking after the money they've got,
03:55 to get rid of a really good pool and fill it in, for want of a better word, what a waste of a resource.
04:08 I'm sure it cost a lot of money when this building was built to build a pool
04:13 and I cannot see any private developer in this area building a replacement pool
04:22 that would serve the same purpose as this because it would be a multi-million pound project.
04:28 And because it's attached to the gym, it's a viable option.
04:33 But I cannot see another developer doing that.
04:36 It just seems out of standard when we're talking about limited resources to make sure that we keep a resource that we've got.
04:45 Yes, because we hear things from the government about waste and recycling.
04:50 So why would you waste a facility like this?
04:53 Why would you bulldoze it and start again from scratch?
04:57 And we talk about the government has issues about loneliness and looking after the elders in the community.
05:03 Well, if we're going to do that, in this community that we have here, we've got lots of over-50s,
05:11 we've got single people who choose to be single, but we've also got widowed people who find company here.
05:19 And the ages mix really well.
05:23 A lot of these older people come here every day just so that they've got the friendships that they've met and made.
05:29 And it's very helpful for them.
05:32 And also in a climate where the government is telling us that we all need to be fitter,
05:36 we need to look after ourselves, that we need to improve our mental health.
05:41 This is exactly what sports facilities do.
05:44 And if we don't do this, we're going to end up being a bigger burden on the NHS.
05:51 And the NHS, where we've got a finite amount of resource, and we really, at the moment, for instance,
05:57 if you've got a hip replacement or a knee replacement, you don't get a physio appointment.
06:02 You get a book at home and you have to do the exercises just yourself.
06:06 There's nobody doing a physio appointment for you.
06:09 You don't really get a hydrotherapy pool anymore, of course, at all.
06:14 So a facility like this is wonderful because you can come and you can do your exercises in a warm pool and not feel uncomfortable.
06:23 So there are lots of headline issues that we hear from the government about all of these kinds of things.
06:29 And if this is to go ahead, and it is bulldozed, it would be contributing so many of the issues that are apparently important to the government.
06:41 And I think it's really important that all levels of government have that view,
06:46 not just the UK government, the Scottish government, but local government in particular, who hold all the planning tools.
06:58 I've actually emailed Marie Todd, who's the Scottish Office Minister and Responsible for Public Health,
07:05 and asked her about her view in respect of the mental health aspect of the facility this year.
07:14 Obviously it's holidays just now, and she hasn't had an opportunity to respond.
07:19 But I do think that we have to approach all levels of government in respect of it, and a lot of us have done that.
07:26 In fact, I've been in touch with Fergus Ewing, and we got a very positive response back from him today about this as well.
07:35 I think people feel really strongly about this, and it would be such a shame and such a malice if it was to just be gotten rid of.
07:46 I actually do think that we will be on the doorstep of banners. I can see that happening. I think we're that passionate about it.
Comments