A gym that acted as a lifeline for people with disabilities is to reopen thanks to new money from the ACT government.
The Y Chifley Health and Wellness Centre closed two months ago when the YMCA which ran it decided the costs were too high for a not-for-profit organisation.
It had specialist equipment suitable for older people and those with disabilities. Apart from the exercise equipment, the building itself was designed for those with wheel chairs and walking frames.
It also acted as an informal social centre for people who needed to support each other mentally.
Now the ACT government has stumped up $473,000 for it to reopen under new operators.
"It's terrific," 77-year-old stroke victim Chris Welburn said.
"It means that I'll be able to exercise on the whole range of machines.
"I need to do this to keep my muscles from freezing up."
He's paralysed down his right side after a stroke 16 years ago, so he needs the gym with machines which are tailored to his needs.
The new operator, Equipd Allied Health, plans to reemploy some of the existing staff.
"My team will consist of both familiar faces and prospective new health professionals and administrative staff," manager Dylan Grubb said.
When the YMCA decided to close the facility, it said that it hadn't received any support from government.
In a letter to customers in March, the organisation's chief executive for Canberra, Kirsty Dixon, said they were closing it "with a heavy heart".
In a statement, Y Canberra Region (as the YMCA is known) said "the cost of doing business is increasingly tough for not-for-profits.
"Over the past few years, the Y Canberra Region team has donated over $1 million dollars of its own financial reserves to keep these small services operating for a couple of hundred members.
"The Y Canberra Region, have kept the doors open as long as we can, and sadly, we have now had to close our doors for this small group of members."
The small group of members were devastated and decided to lobby the government.
In a letter to ACT ministers, client and ophthalmologist Thomas Walker said: "They come with their oxygen concentrators, their artificial limbs, their paralyzed limbs, with walking frames and in wheelchairs.
"Please invest in preventative medicine and keep this valuable health facility open. Personally, it is great for me to be without medication at [age 88]."
The government has now answered the call.
"We heard clearly from gym members, health professionals and the wider community how much they valued the services provided at the Chifley Health and Wellbeing Hub," health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said.
The facility isn't just a gym with exercise machines. There will also be staff to assess the clinical needs of the people who go there. There will be treatment rooms, for example.
"Clinical services will extend to the provision of a new clinical treatment room and testing equipment, and exercise and resistance training equipment for National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) community members," the ACT government said.
The plan is to have the gym in full operation at the beginning of September.
