“We tried our absolute best” – Westside Gym owner posts video confirming closure

Westside Gym have confirmed that they will be closing under level 5 restrictions after initially deciding to stay open.

Simon Murphy, the owner of Westside Gym in Blanchardstown, spoke to Lovin Dublin yesterday to outline his reasons for staying open, chief among them the mental health effects that closure would have on his members.

Since our interview, Simon has posted a new video on Instagram explaining that he had two visits from Gardaí yesterday, “which were to be expected” and that he has now decided to close. In the clip, he says that “we can’t fight this battle by ourselves.”

He added his thanks to everyone who has supported Westside Gym over the past few days and said that he hoped that the closure “will only be for six weeks but it’s indefinite in my eyes.”

He concludes by saying “I hope to be able to welcome you back to Westside when they say it’s safe for us to do so”. Yesterday, Simon told us that “during the first lockdown back in March, we followed all the guidelines, we closed our doors like everyone else. This isn’t a financial decision, in fact, we’re not accepting new members at the moment.”

You can watch the latest video posted by Westside Gym below…

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGnyqunD9Pv/

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