Goodwill · England · Est. 1961
Swing into shape!
with Lucas & Paolina
Kettlebells, keep-fit, boxing, massage and a Saturday LEGO club – all under one roof on Golden Street. Come as you are, go home a little stronger.
Lucas & Paolina, spring 1961
Meet your trainers
Lucas and Paolina
They met at a strongman exhibition on Blackpool’s Golden Mile in the summer of 1958, married the following spring and opened the Goodwill Gymnasium above Hargreaves’ ironmongery on Golden Street on a frosty Monday in January 1961.
Their idea was simple: a friendly, spotless gymnasium for the whole town – mill girls and bank managers, schoolboys and grandmothers – where nobody is laughed at and everybody gets a cup of tea afterwards.
The strongman
Lucas Hartley
Born on Goodwill’s Mill Lane. A Royal Navy physical training instructor during National Service, where a Russian-born stoker taught him the kettlebell. Can swing a 2-pood bell one-handed while explaining the offside rule.
The gymnast
Paolina Bellini
Trained as a gymnast and dancer in Bologna before coming to England in 1955. Runs the keep-fit classes, the massage room and, frankly, the whole place. Her motto: “Strong is beautiful, darling.”
4
gyms under one roof
16
classes every week
212
kettlebells (we counted)
1
LEGO club for the little ones
Step inside
Four gyms, one roof
The whole first floor of the old Hargreaves building, scrubbed, painted and filled with iron.
Front · north light
The Iron Room
Kettlebells from 18 lb to 106 lb (that’s 3 pood, for the Russians among you), barbells, Indian clubs and medicine balls.
Back · sprung floor
The Sunshine Studio
Sprung maple floor, a gramophone, hula hoops and a view of St Mary’s spire. Home of keep-fit and limbering.
Middle · 16-foot ring
The Ring
A proper ring, heavy bags, speed balls and skipping ropes. Boxing and wrestling for boys, girls and grown-ups.
Corner · always warm
The Rubbing Room
Mint tiles, a padded massage table, an infra-red lamp and Paolina’s famous wintergreen liniment.
Join in!
Group sessions
Sixteen classes a week, from dawn physical jerks to evening kettlebell swings. Turn up five minutes early, bring a towel, leave your worries in the cloakroom.
45 min · Lucas
Kettlebell Swing Club
Swings, cleans, snatches and the Turkish get-up. Our signature class – every level welcome.
45 min · Lucas
Circuit Training
The new Leeds University method: twelve stations, a stopwatch and absolutely no dawdling.
50 min · Paolina
Ladies’ Keep-Fit
Stretch, hoop and limber to the gramophone. Light kettlebells, big smiles, tea and a biscuit to finish.
30 min · both
Physical Jerks at Dawn
Seven o’clock sharp, before the mill hooter. You’ll be awake, we promise.
45 min · Paolina
Core and Limber
Tummy, back and hips: mat work and gentle mobility for stiff office chairs and weary gardeners.
45 min · Lucas
Indian Clubs
The old Victorian art of club swinging: strong shoulders, nimble wrists and splendid posture.
60 min · ages 8–14
Boxing for Boys and Girls
Footwork, skipping and bag work in the Ring. Gloves provided, sparring only with a grown-up’s say-so.
60 min · Lucas
Wrestling and Self-Defence
Catch-as-catch-can holds, throws and escapes. Taught kindly, practised safely on thick mats.
Pin it to the larder door
The weekly timetable
No booking needed for classes – just turn up.
The LEGO Club runs on Saturdays, 10 till noon.
| Time | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.00 am | Physical Jerks | – | Physical Jerks | – | Physical Jerks | – |
| 10.00 am | – | Ladies’ Keep-Fit | – | Ladies’ Keep-Fit | – | Kettlebell Swing Club |
| 1.00 pm | Core & Limber | – | Indian Clubs | – | Core & Limber | – |
| 4.30 pm | – | Boxing, Boys & Girls | – | Boxing, Boys & Girls | – | – |
| 6.00 pm | Kettlebell Swing Club | Circuit Training | Kettlebell Swing Club | Circuit Training | – | – |
| 7.30 pm | – | – | Wrestling & Self-Defence | – | – | – |
Slide the timetable sideways to see the whole week →
Just you and the bell
Private training
An hour with Lucas or Paolina, built entirely around you – whether you’re training for the county sports, mending a dodgy knee or simply want to touch your toes again.
One-to-one, one hour
10s 6d
Course of five hours
£2 10s
Bring a friend, per person
7s 6d
Private clients also get massage at a shilling off and free entry to any group class that week.
Ooh, that’s the spot
Massage and treatments
Paolina’s Rubbing Room is the warmest corner in Goodwill. Bring your aches and pains; leave smelling faintly of wintergreen.
Swedish massage, half an hour
5s
Swedish massage, full hour
8s 6d
Sports rub straight after class
3s 6d
Infra-red lamp, fifteen minutes
2s
Vibration machine, a reducing session
2s 6d
Saturday mornings
The LEGO Club
Those clever plastic bricks from Denmark have only just reached British shops – and Paolina has bought a whole tea-chest full. While the grown-ups swing kettlebells, the little ones build houses, motorcars and rockets to the Moon next door.
- Saturdays, 10–11 and 11–12 o’clock
- Ages 5 to 12, ten builders per session
- One shilling a child – bricks provided
- Birthday parties on Saturday afternoons
- Fathers welcome (they usually build the rockets)
Honest prices
Tickets and memberships
In good old pounds, shillings and pence. Ask Paolina about family rates.
Admit one
Single class
2s 6d
Any group session. Pay at the door, towel included.
Best value
Monthly membership
£1 10s
Every class, every week, your own locker and a cup of tea after each session.
Valid three months
Ten-class card
£1
Five shillings saved. Lose the card and Lucas will look terribly disappointed.
Private hour 10s 6d · Massage from 3s 6d · LEGO Club 1s
From our postbag
Letters from members
“Dear Paolina, after six weeks of keep-fit I can fit into my going-away dress again. Harold is quite speechless, which makes a nice change.”
Mrs Edna Pike, Church Road
“I came for the boxing and stayed for the kettlebells. Last Tuesday I lifted Dad’s motorbike off his foot. Thank you, Mr Hartley!”
Tommy Bradshaw, aged 13
“The Saturday LEGO Club is the only hour of the week our twins are quiet. We have joined the circuit class to celebrate.”
Mr & Mrs Okafor, Station Terrace
Pop in any time
Find us on Golden Street
Address
First floor, 21 Golden Street
(above Hargreaves’ Ironmongery)
Goodwill, England
Telephone
Goodwill 2461
Ask the exchange for “the gym” – they all know us.
Opening hours
Mon–Fri 6.30 am – 9 pm
Saturday 8 am – 5 pm
Sunday closed – Lucas rests too
Getting here
No. 7 omnibus to the Market Cross. Bicycle racks in the yard behind.