London gym owner defies lockdown to remain open and says: ‘I would rather go to jail for a night than shut now’

A London gym owner who is defying lockdown laws to remain open has said: "I would rather go to jail for a night than shut now.”

Hannah Lanel, 41, owns The Fore, a boutique gym and wellness centre based in King's Cross destination Coal Drops Yard.

The business owner has kept her site open since November 5 despite gyms being classed as "non-essential" services and required to close until December 2 under latest Covid-19 restrictions.

Any business which defies the rules could be fined up to £10,000, but Lanel has remained open and provided 1:1 and socially distanced small group classes to around 50 locally-based clients per day since lockdown was implemented.

Ms Lanel - whose studio is decorated with green foliage - told the Standard that she had informed Camden Council officials at the weekend to leave her site alone because she had pivoted her business to become a garden centre.

The gym owner said she "fully expected" officials to return with the police, but is willing to face the consequences because she believes her business - which offers community initiatives and alternative therapies as well as exercise classes - gives clients essential services to maintain their health and wellbeing during the pandemic.

She said: "I can't close my doors. I need to stay open.  

"I would rather be fined £10,000 than I would shut... I would rather go to jail for a night than shut now, really. It's just not right. 

"I get quite emotional about it, it makes me so angry that the response to this pandemic [closing gyms] could then have such detriment on the health of the population."

She added: “I don't want to go to jail, I'm a 41-year-old mum of two, but there are lots of things we can rely on... we could be classified as a support group, we do do education and training here too - and we have a lot of plants.”

Ms Lanel said that the only feedback she has received to date has been positive.

She said: "I was worried about a negative response. I was expecting people to be like 'you're so selfish, how can you do this?' I've not had a single response like that.