There are no queer and trans gyms in East London. So we're building one! Kole and Ailsa — founders of Queer Running Club and Hot Girl Boxing — have been growing a community of trans and queer people who move together across London for several years. You've come to the runs. You've come to the boxing classes. You've shown us on repeat that our community is ready and needs a permanent home. WIP LDN will be a community gym and event space in Tower Hamlets — built by us, for us. As governing bodies from the FA to the IOC continue to ban trans athletes from sport, that exclusion ripples down — into gyms, changing rooms, classes, and everyday life. We need a space for our bodies to move, train, perform, gather, and thrive on our own terms. We exist and we are not going anywhere, the development of this inclusive space proves that.

What we'll deliver:

• build a fully equipped gym for classes and personal trainers
• install lighting and sound equipment for events
• install floor for yoga, dance and movement classes

Why it's a great idea:

London has lost 60% of its LGBTQ+ venues in 20 years. What remains are mostly nightlife bars and clubs — permanent, politically rooted community spaces are disappearing. Which means our community is nearly twice as likely to experience loneliness as cishet people. The WHO links loneliness to over 871,000 deaths a year. This is a public health crisis — and it won't be solved by another pop-up. Queer Running Club, Hot Girl Boxing, and our associated communities have been carving out space in a city that wasn't built for us — training in borrowed gyms, fitting our community into cishet-owned spaces at times that are often not convenient for us. WIP LDN will be East London's first permanent queer and trans gym — sober, inclusive, and political. A place to train, yes. But also to talk: hormone use for trans athletes, surgery advice, and dedicated community socials.

Steps to get it done:

• purchase the rubber matting to create a gym floor
• commission our lighting and sound technicians to build the event space
• work with a builder to install a rig for calisthenics rings, barbells and dip bars
• buy equipment for the gym including dumbbells, kettlebells, plates, bands and accessories
• dress the space with mirrors and astro turf for sled pulling
• prepare the space for winter with heaters