Norwich's women's gym EmpowHER celebrates its first birthday

EmpowHER opened its doors in Whiffler Road in July 2023 after being launched by best friends Kay Midlane, 29, and Coral Bergman, 30.

"We met while we were working as self-employed personal trainers at our last gym and we bonded quite quickly," Ms Midlane explained.

Kay Midlane (left) and Coral Bergman opened EmpowHER in Whiffler Road last year (Image: EmpowHER)

"We started going for coffee and doing live chats on Instagram together where we would talk about different subjects related to fitness each week.

"In our work lives, we had both reached our client capacities but there were so many more women we wanted to help in person.

Ms Midlane said the sense of community EmpowHER has fostered is her favourite thing about the job (Image: Thomas Brown)

"We spoke about it and decided that by opening our own gym we could expand our reach and offer small group personal training sessions.

"This way, the girls can have a safe and supportive space to learn skills like weight training and conditioning."

Ms Midlane added this structure has allowed several friendships to blossom between clients.

"It's been so nice - seeing them meet up outside of classes and chatting before and after has probably been my favourite thing about the past year," she said.

EmnpowHER will host an open day to celebrate its first birthday (Image: Thomas Brown)

Anyone interested in joining can attend an open day at the Mile Cross gym on Saturday, July 20 in honour of EmpowHER's first birthday.

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Guests are invited to join a selection of large group sessions, enjoy food from an on-site vendor and browse the gym's limited-edition merchandise.

The venue will also be decorated in balloons and a videographer will be on hand to capture some memories. 

More information can be found on the EmpowHER website.