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At the end of 2023 I became aware that a new gymnastics centre for children was opening in Bath. My daughter (then 7) had been badgering me for months to let her try gym classes but I had been putting it off as she wasn't naturally inclined to the coordination and balance typically required for gymnastics and I was concerned she wouldn't get any benefit from a gymnastics environment that was geared towards competition. The Little Gym, however seemed to be more focused on general gymnastics skills so I reached out to Fiona to see if she might have space for my daughter to try her classes in exchange for some content on Mums in Bath. She very kindly offered her some lessons and a free birthday party in the December. My daughter absolutely loved her lessons, developing in confidence and skills in what turned out to be almost a year of lessons. She also had an awesome birthday party, which I reviewed in the Mums in Bath group.
Since opening their doors, The Little Gym, Bath, has fast become an establish and loved place for families in the city to bring their children for a variety of sessions from baby groups through to primary age classes with over 200 members aged four months to 12 years. Children enjoy a variety of classes with experienced and talented teachers who lead lessons focused on developing the whole child, not just physically but also socially and cognitively, too. The ethos of The Little Gym is “You don’t have to be the best, you just have to try your best”.
I met with Fiona to find out more about what motivates her to pour so much into her business and get to know this local mum running her own business for children in our city. Fiona is a mum of two and lives in the city having relocated here to run her business. When her children were younger they attended The Little Gym in Hampton and Teddington and amazed by her children's development, she was inspired to start her own franchise in Bath, a city that she had wanted to move to for many years. Initially after opening the gym, Fiona was splitting her time between London, Bath and family in Stroud. This was, obviously, unsustainable, so in the summer of 2024, Fiona and her family made the move to Larkhall in Bath and their family haven't looked back. Fiona can now regularly be seen whizzing through the city from home to the gym on her cargo-bike and plans to never get in her car again if she can avoid it.
I asked Fiona about her experiences in the city and advice to other parents.
Vicky: Tell us about some of your favourite places in Bath...
Fiona: For eating out (something I haven’t down much of over the past year of becoming a business owner, it has to be said), I love Pintxo, Comptoir and Cuisine, and a Swartz Brothers Burger on my way home from work! Further afield, I adore The Newt, both for the food and beautiful gardens, The Pig and Castle Farm, Midford.
As a family, we love the Egg Theatre-my husband is an actor and we are extremely lucky to have so many great theatres in this region, in Bath, Bristol and Cirencester.
For a family day out, our go-to is Westonbirt Arboretum, Dyrham Park, Bath City Farm and The American Museum. The views from the latter are unbeatable.
Vicky: What do you love about Bath?
Fiona: It appeals because it has a strong community feel, but also provides the anonymity of a big city; since my work is so front facing, I do need those moments of seclusion. I love that I can walk five minutes and be in the hills.
Vicky: Tell me about your business…Why did you start it? What is the best thing about what you do? What do you find challenging?
Fiona: I was a business coach when my kids attended gym and The Little Gym became my client: a client that was colourful and fun and inclusive and kind. Their values seemed to align with my own. I loved the ethos so much that, during lockdown, I decided to make the leap to business owner and, after many years of searching, found the right town centre venue at Kingsmead Leisure Complex.
Before becoming a business coach, I worked for the NHS, in mental health, at SW London and St George’s NHS Trust. I struggled with my own mental health, post birth, with both of my children, and got enormous satisfaction from supporting others who were at crisis point. I now teach many of the Parent/ Child classes at The Little Gym, and my background informs the way I teach: of course, the sessions are fun-they always are at the Little Gym, but I hope that there is also a strong message from me that the first crucial year of parenthood, particularly, is HARD WORK. I hope I have created a space where new parents can come exactly as they are, without feeling they have to show up with that rictus grin that so many new mothers, particularly, paste on!
The best thing about what I do is, undoubtedly, seeing the children flourish. It gives me enormous pride to see our children move through the programme, brimming with confidence. I also love seeing my team grow and develop-I still pinch myself that I have an incredible team of staff, many of whom have been with me on this journey from the very beginning. I mean, they think I am ANCIENT, but I do have a lot of love for all of them!
Vicky: What one thing that you know now do you wish you had known then?
Vicky: I always give my team the advice that you can afford to slow down and take a breath in any moment, but I don’t necessarily follow that advice myself. And I wish I’d known more about social media and marketing before I started this journey. For too long, I resisted educating myself on this side of things and, I see now, that it’s so so crucial. It was an old habit, to bat that stuff away and say “not for me”, when I needed to lean in to that world.
Vicky: If you could give other mums one piece of advice, what would it be?
Fiona: Us mums often feel so stretched with the juggle of work and parenting that we over-compensate. I did it with my daughter-I felt so lonely and bereft as a new parent that I spent every hour she was awake stimulating her-jangling puppets in her face etc, thinking that that was what she needed. When I had my son, I took the pressure off myself and decided to do things that I enjoyed-watching films I wanted to watch, walking in nature, chatting to friends. I was so much happier. Babies recruit us mums and, what I suppose I’m trying to say is, I don’t think we need to work so hard.
Because babies, who are the centre of our world, have their needs met constantly, and this doesn’t necessarily create children who are adventurous and able to overcome challenges and self-regulate.
When they start to become mobile, kids show us what they need. No child has ever asked to leave a playground before their parents! They need to run, and jump, and go up-side down, and push and pull, and do heavy work, and swing and tumble, and take safe risks. Children are living increasingly sedentary lives and it is having an impact on every aspect of their development, when what they really need is to get moving.
Fiona and I chatted at the gym, and we made this lovely video of her interview, with massive thanks to fellow local mum and fabulous independent estate agent Ellie Thomas who generously gave her time to help me with the video. Check out the full video below, and hear more about Fiona's plans to use The Little Gym to support parents who are facing mental health struggles
For more information about The Little Gym, Bath, and to get in touch for a free trial session for your little one, check out their website at https://bath.thelittlegym.co.uk/
You can get in touch with Fiona and her team on 01225 981358 or on email at bath@thelittlegym.co.uk
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