‘Covid rules are gone… now we need our gym back’
Former social worker who uses wheelchair says disabled people have been ‘left behind’
Friday, 4th March 2022 — By Anna Lamche

Janet Grace was left paralysed after an operation
A WHEELCHAIR user whose specialist gym has not reopened since the pandemic has warned disabled people are being “left behind” as Covid restrictions end.
Janet Grace, 61, was left paralysed after an operation in 1999. For the last six years, she has visited the Outlook Centre three times a week. There she had access to weight machines, a Medi-Bike and yoga classes, which were “very therapeutic for the mind, body and soul”.
The service shut during the Covid crisis, however, and has not reopened since.
“In the pandemic, I tried to do as much as I could, but obviously I don’t have that kind of equipment in my home,” Ms Grace said.
“Exercise is important to me: even though I may only have the use of one hand, it’s important that I stand, it’s important I exercise my body – because if I don’t use it, I lose it.
“Exercise is also fundamental to mental health, to your state of mind, and more so for us because we are disabled.”
While it offers specialist gym equipment for people with complex physical needs, the centre is “more than just a gym,” Ms Grace said.
It also has a computer room, training room and garden, and signposts users towards other services.
“It’s not just a place for exercising, it’s a place to meet up,” she said. “It’s a community hub.”
Since the closure, Ms Grace has been searching for another gym to visit. She has been told there are 25 accessible gyms in the borough, but those that are fully accessible are a long journey from her house.
“It’s quite a trip, especially if it’s raining or winter,” she said.
The other gyms “say they’re accessible,” Ms Grace has said, but are mainly “accessible to unseen disabilities – strokes, heart problems, people with mental health.”
She added: “A lot of the London borough of Islington gyms don’t seem to have the accessibility for somebody like myself in a wheelchair, or anybody else with physical complex needs.”
Ms Grace has said she feels “left behind” by the easing of restrictions.
“Everybody else has got back to normal: able-bodied people are able to access the gym,” said Ms Grace.
“So why can’t we get back to some form of normality and get exercise back in our life?” she asked.
“I’m not just speaking for myself. I’m speaking for all of us at the gym.
“I used to be a social worker – when I became disabled, that put an end to my career.
“As a mother and a grandmother, I’m not asking for anything much. I just want to be able to live my best life.”
A council spokesperson said: “We paused the Outlook Day Service at the beginning of the pandemic, in line with central government advice, to reduce the risk to vulnerable adults in our community.
“Since that time, residents and carers have been supported at home as appropriate, including offering welfare visits for high-risk service users, welfare checks by telephone, and increased packages of care including referrals to physiotherapy services as required.
“With reviews and assessments almost complete, a phased reopening of the Outlook Day Service is planned from April 4 for people with high complex needs and those who are eligible under the Care Act.
“All services will continue to comply with central Government guidance on staying safe and reducing the risk to both service users and staff. Outlook staff will complete risk assessments with residents prior to their return to the service.”