A Bristol charity has started work to build the UK’s first fully accessible exercise and play facility for disabled children.
The Gympanzees Centre, on the site of a former service station at Aust near the M48 Severn Bridge, will host 200,000 visits from disabled children, young people and their families every year when it opens.
The initial phase of work will involve demolishing the existing internal walls and ceilings on the ground floor, creating an empty space that will prepare for the construction of 11 inclusive spaces. The development is due to be completed by June 2026.
When finished, the centre will have an array of rooms including a horizontal climbing wall that will be accessible for all children and two-storey soft play with a wheelchair lift.
The charity has raised £4.5m of its £8m target for the new centre so far.
Chief executive and founder Stephanie Wheen started the construction by smashing through the wall with a sledgehammer. She said: “This has been a long journey from when I initially had the idea for Gympanzees way back in 2016, but I’m so proud of how far we have come. The pop-up events were a brilliant way to show the concept was a good one, but we needed to do more for these amazing families.
“It is incredibly exciting that work has now started, after feeling like a pipe dream at times, it now feels incredibly real. We are doing something never done before and we now have a site and work has begun, our permanent home is closer than ever.”
The charity was previously reliant on pop-up events, taking place in temporary homes around Bristol. The sessions have been incredibly popular with more 28,000 visitors enjoying the access to fun and fitness, alongside lending specialist equipment to over 2,800 families and schools.
“We can’t thank the funders, corporate supporters, and the public enough for all their support,” added Ms Wheen. “We have had fantastic feedback from our services to date, but families crucially deserve more than temporary pop-ups and remote support. They need a place they can trust and rely upon all year round that is welcoming, safe, fun and supports all their health and wellbeing needs.”
Michelle Brian, mother of Conor, who has attended Gympanzee’s pop-up sessions previously, added: “Days out for us as a family are virtually impossible. Conor has autism and is non-verbal so we spend all our time worrying that others won’t understand Conor or he’ll be able to find a way to escape. Gympanzees’ pop-up sessions were such a relief for us as they offered us a safe space that Conor can play and express himself without judgement.
“The new centre will be incredible for us. Conor loves Lego and has a lot of energy to burn, which is one of the reasons why he loves Gympanzees.”
Oakland Construction is the firm appointed to undertake the first stage of building works for the new Gympanzees centre.
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