MY JOURNEY
Chris Ware
Chris Ware was a local boxer and personal trainer working in various gyms around Swansea in South Wales. He had small circuit style classes in addition to the more traditional personal training he was doing with his one on one clients. His classes quickly became popular with gym members and friends. The classes were basic but the main ingredient was the fresh music that Chris couldn’t wait to play while taking classes.
Each week a new CD with the latest ‘bangers’ would be the sound track to the workout and Chris himself would admit it was equally about the music as it was the workout.
Working as a doorman in local night clubs, Chris had his lightbulb moment. These night clubs with big sound systems and atmospheric lighting were sitting empty every day till 10pm. Chris was quickly in touch with local night club managers pitching the idea of a fitness class with live Dj, loud music, flashing lights and a boxing based high intensity workout. The open minded night club owner bit Chris’s hand off for some extra revenue and some good press surrounding the the nightlife scene.
FUNKY PUMp WAS BORN 2006
Crobar Night Club was the venue with modest beginnings Chris kept chipping away building the class, giving out flyers around the city and doing every thing he could to build numbers. Chris was very close to throwing in the towel and moving to London after having an interviews in gyms across London with the Holmes’s Place chain of gyms. Every week the classes were painfully quiet until one night the local army of gym bunnies turned up. These were full on ‘gym class’ enthusiasts and Chris knew if he could get these hooked it would open the flood gates for people who enjoyed exercise classes around the city. The music was the loud the atmosphere even better and it was mission accomplished in launching what went on to be the most successful independent fitness class in Wales. With number increasing every week the nightclub dance floor reached capacity.
It was time to move to a bigger club and polish the product.
Escape night was literally across the road. Wales only ‘Super Club’. With the biggest Dj’s across the country playing there on the weekend the week days became equally as vibrant. With queues around the block to get into this new style of fitness class you could see the excitement on peoples face as they walked in to workout in the club that was famous for its big nights. With over 120 coming every night of the week it literally became the place to workout. Local celebrity dj’s on the decks and Chris and his team taking the class this really was something special for a few years and it felt it.
The demise of the night club life in every city meant Swansea was no different. The week days became busier with people training than the weekends with people clubbing and it wasn’t long before the club was looking at closing. One day out of the blue the club owner phoned Chris and advised to get all gym equipment out as the doors were closing. This was devastating news as the fitness classes were riding on a crew of a wave but with no venue locally suitable for the numbers Chris had to adapt the style of class and look at other venues to keep it going. It wasn’t the same but it was important to keep momentum going until something came up.
A local business man and friend reached out to help Chris and together they found an old car garage to transform. The core business which had always been the class ‘Funky Pump’ was now able to diversify in the new purpose built premises. Additional classes were added to the timetable and it all became a class based studio known as the WARE-HOUSE.
The Ware-House started where escape had left off. Busy classes from morning till night and an old school feel to the building full of character it wasn’t long before a cult like following had began. With interest from gyms across South Wales who all wanted this exciting style of class incorporated into their gyms and studios. With business partner Jason Hole now nurturing the franchise element of the business it quickly picked up momentum with franchises in Glasgow and Cornwall becoming popular. The combination of the live DJ playing the Ibiza classic tunes was a breath of fresh air for fitness classes.
The Ware-House in Swansea was booming and the Funky Pump concept was now in 11 venues across South Wales.
With the fitness industry changing and the arrival of the low quality but low cost budget gyms the dynamic Ware-House gym had to compete with multi national companies such as Exercise 4 Less, Pure Gym and The Gym Group. It felt like David and Goliath but relying on passion, imagination and energy and with the support of its loyal members the Ware-House flourished picking up awards and a loyal following.
Once again after 12 years in the place that will always be called home we had no room to progress. Classes were full and people had the appetite for more. It was time to take the plunge and use the 15 years of experience to bring together Swansea’s first super gym. The Ware-House Cwmdu was next, 5 star equipment, luxury changing rooms, the best equipment in the world all under one roof. The vision was met and surpassed, the combination of fitness and music could move on to the next level.
With even bigger classes, space for events this new space was now a huge sprawling space of fitness, music and energy…… With huge open event style space at our disposal it was only natural to host some of the biggest DJ’s in the world. Going from gym by day to rave venue by night once again the Ware-House and its team reinvented what fitness, socialising and being active was about in Swansea.
The story continues, with fitness classes in the summer of 2024 in Ibiza and interest from around the world in bringing what’s been created here to other cities. Who knows what’s next
It’s been emotional, TO SAY THE LEAST!
‘OUR HOUSE IS YOUR HOUSE’