'I've always had a passion for helping women in fitness' - PT on mission to launch female-only gym

A fitness trainer is hoping to expand her business by launching a women-only gym.

Abbie Cummings currently offers one-to-one personal training and a variety of classes for women at Crowns Fitness on the Springfield Industrial Estate in Newport.

But the 30-year-old is now on the hunt for a much larger venue in Telford from where she can expand her offer by adding a traditional gym alongside the classes and personal training.

She said the expansion of the business, which will be called Valkyr Vesta, was on the back of a growing waiting list in Newport and clients continually asking her to add a gym to the mix.

If successful, the planned hub will also provide wellbeing workshops and support networks alongside inviting other personal trainers to use it as a base for sessions with their own clients.

Abbie is now working with officers at Telford & Wrekin Council and business advisers in the hope of securing funding to support the new venture, which she is aiming to have up and running by next spring.

She said: "At the moment, I can only offer classes and personal training but I want to have a facility where women can have a traditional gym membership. Because of the size of where I am, I can't offer anything more. My classes are capped at 15 women so I have reached my limit on what time and availability I can provide.

"I've set this as a community interest company so all the money it makes will be reinvested into workshops, courses and any other help women need for lifestyle improvements.

"I've looked at six sites already but am yet to find something that meets the need in terms of size, amount of allocated parking or the right classification of building to convert it into a gym. I'm in discussions with an estate agency which is providing details of other places."

Abbie was born in Germany but grew up in Shifnal and has always worked in the fitness industry, having qualified as a personal trainer at the age of 18.

She previously worked for healthcare firm Nuffield before launching her solo business in 2020 after being on furlough due to the coronavirus lockdown and supporting clients virtually.

She converted her own garage to create a gym at home before moving into her current unit in summer 2022.

The aim is to find a new site of up to 7,500 sq ft - a significant upgrade on her current 600 sq ft base - most likely on an edge-of-town business or industrial park close to the centre of Telford.

Alongside the day job, she is a qualified teacher and assessor, running Crowns Academy which teaches women looking to start or advance their careers in the fitness industry, and can also advise on nutrition and weight management.

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The name Valkyr Vesta is a nod to Norse and Roman mythology: Valkyries were powerful female figures and Vesta was the goddess of the hearth, home and family in ancient Roman religion.

"I've always had a passion for helping women in fitness," said Abbie.

"I cannot accommodate any more at the moment but I know there's a demand for it because I have to turn people away. One of my academy clients has now qualified as gym instructor and personal trainer and taken on people who I couldn't myself.

"Women-only gyms is not an original concept but I want to bring a complete remodelling of what they look like for females in terms of safety, support and the perception of the gym experience itself.

"There are barriers as to why women won't access gyms and the primary reason is because it's a mixed environment. They don't feel safe, they feel judged and that they don't have any knowledge about what they should be doing there which contributes to them not improving their lifestyles."