Beach Pilates class moves to cafe over council row

Pilates students are "frustrated" that their free class has been moved from the beach to a small cafe in a row over the council introducing fees.

In May, instructor Alexandra Beard told the BBC about the "wild requirements", including a fee of £85 per week, imposed by Southend-on-Sea City Council to run her free Sunday morning sessions on Bell Wharf Beach in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.

Beard, who has moved the group to a cafe, said: "I think we fit maybe 12 or 14 people in here and so there's about 100 people that haven't exercised just because we don't have the room for it in here."

The council has said organisers using public spaces were required to make formal applications to ensure safety and safeguarding measures were in place. Beard said this included having a first aider on site, an event management plan, risk assessment and the weekly fee on top.

"I can't afford to pay £85 every time I do it and I think it's really out of proportion to what the event is for," she added.

The BBC has been speaking to some of the participants in the smaller group that meets at the back of the cafe.

One woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said the council's actions were "frustrating".

"I don't understand why they've cancelled them. It's a great start to the morning, it's good for our mental health," she added.

Stacey Hamilton, 43, said: "This is a community initiative, it's not a business initiative. It just doesn't make sense."

Scarlett Philp, 30, said: "Where you've got all the fights and the kids, surely they [the council] should be focusing on fixing those [rather than] taking away our free community thing."

Beard, 35, said she had £10m public and teacher liability insurance and would be "happy" to comply with other documents, but she has called on the council to waive the fee.

"They saw it as an event rather than a community initiative on what I thought was a free public beach. There's no barriers, you don't have to pay anything, it's completely free," she said.

"I wanted to create a really nice kind of community vibe. You just bring yourself and a mat and that's all you need."

Bits On The Side cafe owner Brad Allen offered his place after he saw that Beard was struggling.

"I was like, 'we've got a perfect garden'," he said.

"Community's changing, the area's changing and I think it's about time that the council get on with it as well. Alex was doing a great thing for the area and all I wanted to do is help."

The authority insisted proper management of "large" events was vital, but added it was working with the instructor to find a solution.

Matt Dent, Cabinet Member for Business, Culture, Music and Tourism at the council, said he recognised the "positive impact" the events could have, but they had a responsibility to ensure events with "large numbers" were managed properly.

"We understand this can feel like a lot... we have now met with the organiser to discuss the concerns raised and are taking steps to find a way forward to resolve this," he said.

Do you have a story suggestion for Essex? Contact us below.

Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.