A Westway Portobello member who first joined the gym in 1986 has helped officially open its £395,000 refurbishment, which has introduced more strength and functional training equipment and a new dedicated recovery area at the North Kensington fitness club.
Local resident Christina Sesay has been using Westway Portobello Fitness Club, in Ladbroke Grove, west London, for 40 years and remains a regular visitor, often coming in twice a day for gym sessions and Zumba classes. She was invited to cut the ribbon on the refurbished facility, marking four decades as a member.
Christina said: “I have been a member of Westway Portobello for 40 years now, and what I love most is the wonderful mix of members; people of all ages, shapes, sizes, and mostly locals, which gives it such a welcoming community feel. Plus, living close by means I show up, and I genuinely feel I get great value for my money.”
The refurbishment has been delivered by operator Everyone Active in partnership with Westway Trust.
The £395,000 investment has reconfigured the gym floor, bringing the weights and resistance areas together in one open layout. Strength equipment has increased by 10 per cent, from 40 to 44 pieces, including new kit from Life Fitness and Hammer Strength, and now makes up 59 per cent of the gym’s equipment, up from 50 per cent.
A dedicated recovery area featuring Theragun massage guns has also been introduced, alongside a refreshed look and feel throughout.
Beyond the gym floor, Westway Portobello has a group fitness studio with a wide range of classes, including yoga, Zumba and Bodypump, as well as women-only classes led by female instructors.
Members can also take part in small group training and personal training sessions, use the group cycle studio or play on the squash courts. Memberships start from £39.99 a month.
The gym has more than 2,200 members, with around 84 per cent of visitors registered to postcodes within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, highlighting its role as a local facility.
Chayenne Kamaran, Everyone Active Contract Manager, said: “Westway Portobello has been part of people’s lives in North Kensington for decades, so it means a great deal to have Christina cut the ribbon. With 84 per cent of our visitors living in the borough, this is a gym that belongs to its neighbourhood, and we wanted the refurbishment to reflect what local people want from it today.
“We’re seeing more members building strength and functional training into their workouts, so we’ve rebalanced the equipment mix to reflect that. We hope the refurbished gym will continue to be an important part of the community for many years to come.”
The changes reflect how people are choosing to train. TrackMyGym data collected across more than 1,600 gyms shows that the proportion of members’ equipment time spent on resistance equipment increased from 23 per cent in 2010 to 37 per cent in 2024, while time spent on free weights rose from six per cent to 29 per cent over the same period.
Christina has seen plenty of change since she first joined. She said: “It is amazing to look back at how much has evolved; we never used to have a spin studio back then, but we do now! The ladies’ changing room was also moved from downstairs to a much bigger, better area. We even used to share a steam room with the men, but now we have our own lovely private space.”
She was equally enthusiastic about the latest changes, adding: “The most recent refurbishment is an absolute triumph. There is so much more dedicated space to stretch out. Integrating the weights and resistance areas into one open layout with the end room now serving as the cardio area makes the whole floor feel incredibly spacious.”
The refurbished Westway Portobello Fitness Club is now open to members and the local community.
