North London Food & Culture

Why It Matters (2): A Gym Class For 4 year olds at Talacre?


Here is something of which you may not be aware; on the other hand maybe you were there shivering yourself.

But this morning, there were extraordinary scenes of parents queueing up outside Talacre Sports Centre from 3am to get their kids a place on the gym class.

Gas stoves were lit; mugs of tea handed out. The atmosphere was nice-ish, with people getting on, although you could feel the edge in the air. It was like Wimbledon – or the release of an iPad.

Tension erupted when we were led inside to a room where, sat in rows of five as if waiting in immigration, someone in the first asked for FOUR PLACES! Out of a total of 42. Cries of ‘it ain’t fair’, or loud clicking tuts (from the Belsize Park brigade) were witnessed. Someone defended them: ‘He’s getting them for a friend of mine who is a single mother,’ ‘I’m a single mother,’ and that old platitude: ‘life’s not fair.’


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Those who got places for their kids were high-fiving. I was one of the lucky ones, arriving in the nick of time at 6.20am – with 30 people in front of me (32 to be precise). It was emotional.

So why does any of this matter? What was on offer, after all, was just a 40 minute gym class for 4 year olds. But they are the best of their kind, recognised on a national level.

So, another in-demand NW5 institution then. (Can’t wait for that other more grown-up one to open next door, either.)

Words: Steve Verrall.


3 thoughts on “Why It Matters (2): A Gym Class For 4 year olds at Talacre?”

  1. Erm, I was there too. but perhaps your journalist was there only in spirit, as his description bears little relation to what happened. got there at 7am, was 14th in queue. no high fives. no argy bargy. classes for 6/7 year olds, not 4 year olds, so perhaps it matters a tiny bit more.
    still, nothing like a good bit of journalism! I’m one myself.

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3 thoughts on “Why It Matters (2): A Gym Class For 4 year olds at Talacre?”

  1. Erm, I was there too. but perhaps your journalist was there only in spirit, as his description bears little relation to what happened. got there at 7am, was 14th in queue. no high fives. no argy bargy. classes for 6/7 year olds, not 4 year olds, so perhaps it matters a tiny bit more.
    still, nothing like a good bit of journalism! I’m one myself.

Leave a Comment

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