Hard work now begins for £10m disabled centre at former services near Bristol
A charity which has bought the iconic former motorway service station building which overlooks the old Severn Bridge at Aust has said its work to turn it into the country’s first custom-built exercise and play centre for disabled children and young people has only just begun.
The Patchway-based Gympanzees last week announced[1] that they had finally managed to secure a permanent home – they had been operating from various temporary sites around the Bristol area for years – with the news that they had paid £3.3 million to buy the former Aust services.
The iconic glass-fronted building provided panoramic views of the Severn Estuary and the Severn Bridge on what was then the M4 when the bridge was built in the mid-1960s. It closed down many years ago, with a smaller service station catering for the reduced traffic after the opening of the Prince of Wales Bridge in the mid-1990s, and was most recently offices.
But now the building could soon be getting a new lease of life, with Gympanzees buying the building. But founder and CEO of the charity, Stephanie Wheen, said the hard work has only just begun and they need to raise around £10.8 million to turn the former services into a ‘fit for purpose facility’ that can open for families in 2026.
“Our work has only just begun,” she said. “I still can’t believe we have found somewhere that suits the needs of our families so perfectly. It just couldn’t be better! The building is 43,000sqft on a 14acre site, with 500 parking spaces and seven acres of green land, including a woodland,” she added. Back in 2019, Steph told Bristol Live of her ambitions[4], and described her wish list – which pretty much matches what the charity has now bought at Aust.
“The incredible location and access off the motorways means we can serve an even wider community and we look forward to welcoming over 200,000 visitors a year from South Gloucestershire[5], Bristol, North Somerset[6], South Wales and the surrounding counties. This property will also allow us to work collaboratively with other charities, councils, universities, businesses, schools, local clubs allow us to explore commercial opportunities and commercial opportunities.
“This space will be the first of its kind in the UK and be available and accessible all year round. It will be a hub for our families to have an amazing time with their whole family while feeling supported and listened to and feel less isolated. Crucially it will also offer endless opportunities to improve health and wellbeing for both children and their families, all in a safe and welcoming environment.
The former motorway services in Aust, South Gloucestershire, which is set to be transformed into a leisure centre for disabled children (Image: Gympanzees)
“Gympanzees will be extraordinary and make life more fair for so many. But this has to be a joint effort. Our families need the South West to join in to make it happen. There are many ways you can get involved, support us both financially and non-financially through volunteering, participating in our events, offering gifts in kind, or simply by spreading the word about our organisation and the fundraising campaign. We know this is ambitions but I have no doubt we will get there – there is just no other option,” she added.
References
- ^ last week announced (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ Bristol lady has ambition to open the first sport leisure centre for disabled children in the UK (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ £3.1m deal for Bristol disabled children’s leisure centre site (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ Steph told Bristol Live of her ambitions (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ South Gloucestershire (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ North Somerset (www.bristolpost.co.uk)