Olympic Rower Opens New Gym and Wellness Centre Near Tesco
The new TGgym and Wellness Centre, located near Tesco, was officially opened on Friday evening by Henley Mayor, Michelle Thomas. The facility, run by Olympic rower and two-time World Champion Toby Garbett, has been completely renovated and kitted out with brand new equipment. As well as being a space for people to exercise, it is also home to a number of small wellness businesses and a cafe, run by Pierreponts.
Toby first moved to Henley in the 90s to row for Leander Club, and went on to compete for Great Britain at five World Rowing Championships and the Olympic Games. Since retiring from rowing, Toby began work as a personal trainer, and has racked up 17 years of experience in the fitness industry.
Opening his own gym in Henley has been a long-held goal for Toby. He stated, “I have long seen a gap in the local market for a space that not only provides excellent gym, personal training and exercise class facilities but also offers a calming space for holistic wellness. I am excited to be able to offer this in TGgym and Wellness, where we provide a wide range of treatments and therapies including physiotherapy, professional tanning, beauty aesthetics, nutritionist clinics, professional tanning and beauty therapy as well as a team of skilled and experienced personal trainers undertaking one-to-one sessions and classes including reformer Pilates, spin, body pump, box fit HIIT, pure stretch, boot camp, ballet barre, mat Pilates, toning and more.”
The TGgym and Wellness Centre premises was previously occupied by No Limits gym. Since acquiring the facility two months ago, Toby has been working tirelessly on its renovation, supported by Henley Town Council. He explained, “The process has been monumental in terms of hours of commitments. Since July 1st, it’s been every day from 6am to 10 or 11 o’clock at night. I haven’t seen the kids throughout the whole thing. The whole gym has been decorated, we’ve got new lights everywhere, Henley Town Council have been fantastic with helping us with a new boiler and sorting out the leaks in the roof – those sorts of things. Everything has been sanded, varnished; we’ve got new equipment. It’s fantastic to have Michelle here today to do the opening. I hope it’s a really nice place for the community to use, young and old.”
TGgym and Wellness Centre has community at its core. By bringing in Pierreponts cafe, Toby hopes that the space will be more than just a place to workout, and that people will visit for their healthy food and drinks whether they are gym members or not. Toby said, “I’ve worked here for a long time as a personal trainer and it’s been nice to bring the community together. In the past, people have just gone and left; they’d do their workout and then leave straight away. Now, we’re trying to capture people here for a bit longer and build a bit of a community.”
Although the gym opened to the public on Friday 9th September, Henley Mayor Michelle Thomas officially opened the facility last Friday evening (23rd September). After cutting the ceremonial ribbon, Michelle went straight in to sign herself up for a gym membership! She said, “I was a huge fan of a gym that was on Newtown Road, and I spent two years trying to save it not just for myself, but for the community. I guess, after that, I started working Monday to Friday, 9 to 3, and nowhere ever really grabbed me. I didn’t want to go and use the pool up at Gillotts because I like to be able to walk somewhere. I don’t want to get in my car and drive somewhere; I want to walk. Toby Garbett’s gym is just a 10 minute walk away from me, so I could cycle or walk or run here. It’s a neighbourhood place and I can’t wait to get started.”
In a fitting nod to Toby’s rowing roots, TGgym and Wellness has been selected to host the Leander club strength and conditioning programme. The Leander team will have allocated use of the gym for their training during specific hours. Whether an elite athlete or an exercise novice, the team at TGgym and Wellness are on hand to support everyone with their fitness goals. For any enquiries please contact Toby Garbett on 07971089270, email tg@tggymwellness.com or see the website.
