Published: 27 March, 2014
By PAVAN AMARA

HUNDREDS of Camden’s most determined parents sacrificed a night’s sleep to stand outside Talacre Sports Centre, and earn a place in a gym class for their children. 

Now the council’s leisure bosses have arranged a meeting with the head of Greenwich Leisure, which runs the centre, to see how the system can be made “fairer for all parents”.

The flagship leisure facility in Dalby Street, Kentish Town, was locked up for the night and opened at 9am. But parents began queueing outside the centre at midnight to earn a coveted place in the gym class for their children. 

Staff estimated that by 3am there were more than 50 parents in the queue, and by 6am there were more than 100 parents kitted out with flasks of tea, deckchairs, and warm blankets. 

Management at the centre had written to all the parents on a waiting list for the gym classes informing them there were 20 spaces available, and they would be signed up on a first come first served basis. The 12-week gym courses cost between £45 and £90.

Delia Lewis arrived at 6.30am, but failed to get a spot for her seven-year-old daughter. 

“I was taking my other daughter to baby gym anyway,” she said. 

“I had to be here at 9am for that, so I got here a few hours earlier with my baby. I wanted to be here for 5am, but getting out the house was difficult with this little one, so I ended up here late.”

Ben Cohen, who arrived at 5am, was also disappointed after failing to get a place for his son. 

“Our neighbours rave about these classes because their kids go here,” he said. “As a parent I’d do anything for my kids – that includes freezing for hours before work. I don’t want them to be the next Mo Farah or whoever, I do want them to have that sporting confidence.”

Councillor Sally Gimson came under fire for a comment she made on social networking site Twitter, saying that parents who queued were “just showing off”.

Cllr Gimson, whose own children went to the gym classes, said the “throwaway comment, was ill-thought out, off the cuff and a stupid thing to say”.

She added: “In principle this sort of thing is not necessary, and is quite ridiculous. The gym is outstanding, it has great facilities, and if children are only all right at gym it’s still good for their balance and for exercise. If children have a talent for it, these classes have connections with top gym teams and national competitions.”

A Camden Council spokesman said: “Enrolment is the most effective way of filling the spaces, but given the demand we are constantly reviewing how people can sign up for the classes, and are now looking to move to online booking to make the process more convenient for our customers.”