Reading Gym Rises from Ashes After Arson Attack Thanks to Community Spirit
When the phone rang at 2.30am, Josh Baines feared the worst. The call was the intruder alarm at The Atrium Health Club, the community spot he has spent years building into a hub for health, fitness and friendship in Reading.
Within minutes, CCTV revealed two men had smashed their way inside and set fire to the gym floor. Mr Baines told the Daily Mail: 'We got a call from our intruder alarm after the front door was smashed in. My facilities manager checked the CCTV straight away and saw them setting fire to the gym, so he called 999 immediately.'
Devastating Attack and Swift Response
Barry, the facilities manager, then drove to Mr Baines' nearby home and the pair rushed to the scene. But as they drove through the dark streets towards the gym, neither of them knew what they were about to find.
Mr Baines said: 'We didn't know if the whole building was going to be up in flames. It felt like a scene from a sad film, standing outside in the rain in the middle of the night, not knowing how bad the damage was.'
Firefighters from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service arrived within minutes and began tackling the blaze inside the building. By the time Mr Baines arrived, the arsonists had already fled, and CCTV footage later showed the entire incident lasted less than two minutes.
He continued: 'They smashed in the front door with a gas canister, poured petrol on the floor, set it alight and ran away. They weren't there to steal anything. Nothing was taken, they just set the fire and left.'
Extensive Damage and Financial Impact
The fire caused extensive smoke damage across the gym, destroying equipment, flooring and ventilation systems. A heartbroken Mr Baines said: 'We had to replace absolutely everything. That's flooring, lighting, ventilation, gym kit, tables, water fountains, everything that goes into running a gym.'
Insurance claims are still ongoing, but Mr Baines says the damage runs into the hundreds of thousands of pounds. The gym was forced to close for just over three weeks, a significant blow during one of the busiest times of the year for health clubs.
He said: 'January is when lots of people join gyms. So losing those weeks had a big financial impact. Some people cancelled memberships because they thought we might be closed for months.'
Overwhelming Community Support
Yet what followed in the days after the fire surprised even the gym's owners. As word spread through Reading, members began offering their help. Staff worked long hours clearing damage, organising repairs and planning how to reopen as quickly as possible.
Once specialist cleaners made the building safe, the gym invited members to help redecorate the damaged areas and the response was overwhelming. 'We had people queuing up to help,' he noted. 'We actually had more volunteers than we had paintbrushes.'
At one point, more than 150 people were inside the building helping to repair and repaint the space. 'Over the weekend, there were even more than that. People offered to do anything, painting, cleaning, even litter-picking outside. It was one of the most special things I've ever seen.'
Heartwarming Volunteer Stories
Support also came in other forms as one member set up a fundraiser to help cover costs not included in the gym's insurance policy. Another volunteer brought along her three-year-old child, who offered 50p to help with the rebuild.
Even some of the gym's most vulnerable members joined the effort. One assistant at the health club, named Alfie, who has autism, came to help paint and offered to donate all his savings towards the refurbishment. Another worker with Down syndrome helped clean parts of the building as the refurbishment gathered pace.
'It was such a diverse group of people helping, young, old, people who use the gym and people who just wanted to support us,' Mr Baines says. 'We'll never forget that weekend.'
Miraculous Reopening
Against all expectations, the gym reopened just over three weeks after the attack, far quicker than industry experts had predicted. 'We were told it would take three months, but the community helped us turn it around in just over three weeks. It really was miraculous,' Mr Baines said.
For Mr Baines, the experience also reinforced the faith that has shaped how the gym operates. A number of the team behind the health club are Christians, and he says their beliefs influence how they treat members and build the community around the site.
'We believe in Jesus and we want to use the health club to make Jesus known,' he mentions. 'We believe Jesus knows people and loves people, and that people can have a relationship with him.'
Ongoing Investigation and Gratitude
Now that the gym has reopened, Mr Baines hopes the story may also help police identify the people responsible for the attack. 'We just want to know who did it and why,' he says. 'And we'd love anyone who recognises the people on CCTV to contact the police.'
Police are still investigating the attack and no arrests have been made. For Mr Baines, the lack of answers has been one of the hardest parts of the ordeal.
He said: 'We have absolutely no idea who it was or why they would do this. We run a place that's meant to support people's physical, mental and social wellbeing. So the idea that someone would deliberately try to destroy that is really difficult to understand.'
'But above everything else, we're just incredibly grateful. We would never have reopened so quickly without the support of our staff and our community.'
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: 'At 2:46am on Friday, 30 January, we received a call from Thames Valley Police to reports of a fire at a commercial premises on Scours Lane in Reading. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service crews from Caversham Road, Wokingham Road and Whitley Wood fire stations were sent to the scene.'
'Upon arrival, crews found a fire in a gym room. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used one hose reel jet to put out the fire, before using a ventilation fan to clear the smoke from the premises. The scene was then handed over to Thames Valley Police. Crews were on scene for approximately one hour and 44 minutes.'
'A Fire Investigation into the cause of the fire has been completed. However, the investigation is still ongoing, so the cause of the fire cannot be disclosed until the investigation is closed.'
