Unfortunately we have taken the decision that we cannot make Oakham Co-operative Fitness work. As a result, we will not be drawing down on the grant we have been offered, the funds from investors or the gofundme page. We have notified Gofundme that we wish to close the campaign and have instructed them to issue refunds to all donors. Gofundme will return investment to those who donated (having deducted their 2.9% + 25p per transaction fee). They have informed us that it may take up to 7-10 working days until the refunds are received. We want to take this opportunity to thank you for the trust and faith you showed in us. It meant an awful lot to the team and was not something we took lightly; it has also, in part, shaped the very difficult decision we have taken.
Since the closure of Catmose, we have seen Oakham School expand their offer of group fitness classes and develop plans to further expand their gym. They were able to move really quickly into some of the space left by Catmose. In addition, we have seen the announcement of the opening of a new gym in the Co-Op store on Burley Road. At the time we were putting our business plan together, we did not expect either of these things to develop in the way that they have. As a result, we cannot offer our members an experience that will represent good value and therefore sustain a large enough membership to cover the high rental costs in Oakham: this makes Oakham Co-operative Fitness no longer viable.
We are really disappointed at this outcome. We believed really firmly in what we were doing and the need to provide a community fitness hub for Oakham. We’ve put a lot of work in because we wanted this to work. We know that many of you are going to be disappointed too: we are sorry to be disappointing you.
We hope that you are able to find a new place to pursue your fitness and to build community around that. We know just how important that is.
With all best wishes,
The Team