Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club: A Century of Strength and Legacy in London’s East End

Tucked away in the backstreets of Bethnal Green, behind a quiet council-owned facade on Turin Street, sits a gym with a heartbeat of iron. Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club — or BGWLC as it’s known to those who pass through its unassuming doors — is a place that has pulsed with life and strength for nearly a century. Established in 1926 and moved to its current site in 1948, the club is more than a gym. It’s a living record of the evolution of British strength sport and a rare stronghold of community-driven excellence.

Its walls have echoed with the clang of medals and the quiet defiance of lifters striving through hardship. From the Olympic platforms to the training sessions of local teenagers finding their feet in sport and life, this place has shaped lives in ways that statistics and rankings could never fully capture.

But now, for the first time in decades, the club’s future is under threat.

A Legacy Forged in Steel and Purpose

The club was established in the wake of the First World War, but it found its enduring home after the Second. In 1948, Tower Hamlets Council granted the club use of the building on Turin Street, rent-free, as part of a mission to support ex-servicemen transitioning back into civilian life. It became, in essence, a gym with a conscience.

From the very beginning, BGWLC was never just about medals. It was about service — to veterans, to neighbours, to anyone in search of strength, structure, and belonging. Over time, its name became synonymous with grassroots athletic excellence and community impact. That dual identity — elite and accessible — remains its beating heart.

The gym still operates on that original spirit. Volunteers run the club. National-level coaches give their time freely. Lifters train side by side regardless of background or experience. No mirrors. No egos. Just bars, plates, and purpose.

The Lifting Legends of Bethnal Green

Over the decades, the club has fostered hundreds of competitors, many of them world-class. Three names in particular have come to symbolise BGWLC’s influence in British strength sport: Ernie Parkes, George Newton, and Ali Jawad.

Ernie Parkes is more than a regular. He is a cornerstone of the club’s story. Joining in 1966, he brought with him a background in the armed forces and a fierce commitment to physical development. He represented Great Britain at the 1970 Commonwealth Games and competed internationally well into his 70s. In 2014, he broke the IPF Masters 4 world record deadlift with a 210kg lift at -83kg bodyweight — a feat that speaks not only to his talent but his unrelenting dedication.

When asked about the early days, Ernie reflects on the standard of the club: “You had to be outstanding to stand out,” he says. “The quality was so high, it forced you to raise your game.”

Today, Ernie still trains at BGWLC, still competes, still encourages the lifters around him. “It accommodates all ages, male and female, and everyone’s given the same encouragement.”

George Newton, another icon, was known for his elegant split-style Olympic lifts. He trained at BGWLC during its golden years and remains a legend in British weightlifting for his Commonwealth gold medals and technical mastery. Lifters who trained alongside him speak of his form with admiration — not just for his strength, but for his grace under pressure.

Ali Jawad, the British Paralympian and silver medallist at Rio 2016, has also called BGWLC home. To him, the club is more than a training base. “It’s not just a gym, it’s a community,” he says. “It’s a place that has produced hundreds of champions, but more importantly, it supports the people who walk through its doors.”

These three names represent different eras and disciplines. But they all speak to the same truth: Bethnal Green is not just about performance — it’s about perseverance, mentorship, and community.

The Coach Behind the Curtain

For over fifty years, Martin Bass has served as the quiet force behind BGWLC’s continued excellence. He first entered the gym as a 20-year-old and has never left. Today, in his seventies, he is still there — coaching, mentoring, maintaining the space, and standing up for the club’s future.

“Every second I’ve been in there, I’ve enjoyed,” he says. “It’s what I do. It’s what I get out of bed for. I love every second of it. I love the people in there.”

Martin’s ethos shapes the gym. There is no bravado, no elitism. “Anybody who comes in here, it’s a safe space,” he says. “We don’t allow no nonsense up here.”

He has coached international athletes and complete novices, ex-servicemen and schoolkids, women rebuilding confidence and retirees chasing personal bests. For Martin, the mission is the same: to help people become stronger in every sense.

Strength in Diversity

BGWLC isn’t just for competitors. It is a space that actively welcomes those who would be excluded or overlooked elsewhere.

Charlotte Macaulay came to the club while recovering from Guillain-Barré syndrome. She was learning to walk again. Within a year, she was deadlifting 150kg. “It helped me get my muscle mass back, but also mentally,” she says. “I felt like I was doing something to help myself.”

She also found something she hadn’t expected — a large, visible, supportive community of women. “There are so many women training here. It felt empowering. You’re not treated differently. You’re just another lifter.”

Moa Wikner, a trainer and lifter, echoes this sentiment: “You look at your own potential and growth. There’s no performance culture based on looks. It’s about what your body can do.”

Ben Davis, Chair of British Powerlifting and a former Army officer, also trains and coaches at BGWLC. After serving in Afghanistan, he found himself dealing with PTSD. The gym became a kind of therapy. “Bethnal Green is unique,” he says. “It brings people from different backgrounds into a space where everyone is equal. It’s safe. It’s welcoming.”

This isn’t accidental. It’s part of the club’s DNA. BGWLC has never excluded. It embraces veterans, refugees, LGBTQ+ lifters, beginners, and seasoned athletes alike.

Built for Purpose

The gym’s equipment is serious. Olympic-standard platforms. Calibrated plates. Texas Power Bars. Specialist bars for adaptive lifters. Dumbbells to 60kg and beyond. A belt squat machine. Glute-ham developers. Every piece of equipment is there for a reason — not for show, but for function.

But it’s the environment that leaves a lasting impression. There’s no music blaring. No influencers posing. Just the focused hum of lifters chasing numbers, chasing better versions of themselves.

Facing Eviction

In July 2024, Tower Hamlets Council served the club a Section 25 notice — giving them until January 2025 to vacate the building. That deadline has since been extended to April, but the future remains uncertain. The council claims it wants to redevelop the site as part of a “Residents’ Hub” tied to a new academic centre.

But when the club submitted a Freedom of Information request, no budget or specific redevelopment plan could be produced. In other words, BGWLC is being evicted to make way for a concept, not a concrete project.

Martin Bass, usually reserved, didn’t hold back: “We’re good people. We want to do a deal. But they’re nasty now. For whatever reason, they want us out.”

A Roar of Resistance

The eviction notice triggered a wave of protest. Members marched to Brick Lane. A petition gathered thousands of signatures. The BBC, the Daily Mail and other major publications picked up the story.

One member, a Ukrainian refugee named Yana Lyntovskyi, perhaps put it best: “To destroy something — we understand it because we’re from Ukraine. But trying to build something that’s the same — it’s not possible.”

Even now, with the deadline looming, lifters keep showing up. Not because they’re ignoring the threat, but because they believe in what the club represents.

“This place gives people a sense of who they are,” said one coach. “It gives them back something they didn’t know they’d lost.”

More Than a Gym

What’s at stake isn’t just a building. It’s a legacy — of service, of inclusion, of excellence forged from the ground up. BGWLC is a rare space where different generations share the platform. Where a world champion might spot a teenager on their first squat. Where lifters speak in kilos and encouragement.

In an Olympic year, with strength sport gaining popularity across the UK, it seems almost surreal that one of its foundational institutions is being quietly displaced. But the community around BGWLC isn’t giving up.

As Martin Bass said, “We’re gonna make some noise. The only thing I hope is that someone on the council is taking notice.”

Because at Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club, strength has never been about who lifts the most. It’s about showing up. Lifting each other. And holding the line.

To support Bethel Green Powerlifting club you can sign a petition on their website here: https://bgwlc.co.uk