Circus star Charlie Truscott and Burgh Healthy Hub owner Ben Abeleven had just had their first baby when Covid hit. Here Ben shares the story of a tumultuous year.
Burgh has had a very steady build over the last few years. We have invested into running a strong and resilient business. The initial impact of Covid-19 was scary. We were told to close our doors with only 12 hours’ notice, without any indication of when or if we would be able to re-open.
The support of the Job Keeper and other resources provided by the government gave us an uninterrupted period of time to plan future changes to the facility. Fear became excitement. We had the time to undertake renovations, without interrupting normal business.
With the support of Covid loans we were able to completely renovate both the group fitness and aerials room. We have also had the opportunity to upgrade several pieces of our gym equipment.
These changes meant that there was fresh carpet, a lot more functional cardio space for our members to enjoy, as well as more dedicated purpose spaces.
So, how did we survive the pandemic?
The short answer is that we were fortunate enough to have access to government grants and support, including the Job Keeper payment.
Some of our loyal members even continued to pay their memberships even though the facility was closed (thanks again to those who could).
During this time, we hired a new trainer to continue to support and grow the group fitness classes, and also found a committed personal trainer. Without the continued support of our members and the Helensburgh community, we would not have been able to come out the other end stronger and more motivated than ever.
The Kids and Teens program also faced challenges, in how to keep students engaged, even if from home. In Term 2, we ran online classes to provide students with an outlet, but also to provide some trainers with income who were not eligible for government assistance.
The downtime also gave Charlie the opportunity to consider the future opportunity of gymnastics in Helensburgh and we are pleased to announce we will be launching gymnastics in 2021.
Teaming up with personal trainer Trevor Kissell was another opportunity that evolved during shut-down. This meant that we could transform our business into an ‘all-in-one facility’ that appeals to everyone’s preferences. Whether your interest lies in personal training, group classes or the gym floor, our facility has it all.
2020 was a blessing in disguise for not only the business, but for our family as we had our first daughter in January this year.
The pandemic allowed our family to spend much-needed quality time together. We are both extremely grateful and fortunate for the continuous support of the Helensburgh community.
This is one of the many reasons why we are lucky to call this place home.
We are always looking to be proactive community members, to contribute to the town as best we can while raising our daughter. We are here to stay, Covid or no Covid.
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