Female-only fitness gym kickboxing

Grangetown’s hidden gem: a free female-only gym welcoming new members 

The venue offers a safe and supportive place in which women can work out

GRANGETOWN’S Earl Lane is home to a hidden gem – a free female-only gym providing a safe haven for all women to work out.  

The gym started in August 2021 when Shaunna Driscoll, a 28-year-old fitness instructor from Grangetown, pitched the idea to the organisers at Grangetown Girls and Boys club.  

“Not many women enjoy going to the gym. It is a very male dominated space which puts a lot of women off,” said Ms Driscoll.

“Not only this, but lots of women are unable to go to a mixed gym because of cultural reasons. What are they meant to do? Everyone is entitled to have access to health and fitness.”

Interview with Nimo Liban, 21 of Grangetown, and Ana Periera, 27 of Riverside | Video by Rowenna Hoskin

The gym now has over 40 members, but Ms Driscoll says that she feels that the word has not reached as many women as she would have liked.

Women from all walks of life have joined the club to work out and get fit.

Nimo Liban, 21, of Grangetown began going to the gym a month ago. She said: “It feels like one community together.

Female-only fitness gym kickboxing
Nimo Liban, 21 of Grangetown at the Earl Lane gym. | Photo by Rowenna Hoskin

The gym has also helped women combat their anxieties. One member, who was recently diagnosed with PTSD, has found solace in the female-only gym as a coping-mechanism.