Community venture seeks legal support to review a lease for a new community climbing gym

What do they need help with?

Climbing Commons is preparing to launch a not-for-profit indoor climbing space in Stroud, Gloucestershire – designed as a supportive, community-led hub for physical and mental wellbeing. With heads of terms now agreed and passed to the landlord’s solicitor, the organisation is seeking a qualified property professional to review the lease agreement for a 131m² first-floor space at Brimscombe Mill.

The lease is with a social enterprise already delivering high-impact local services, including a furniture bank, pay-as-you-can café, second-hand children’s shop and bike workshop. The final lease draft is expected within the next fortnight, and while the terms are expected to be fair, Climbing Commons is keen to ensure that all legal risks are carefully reviewed and mitigated.

This climbing gym is more than a leisure facility – it’s the pilot site for a pioneering model of community ownership, led by grassroots organisation Stroud Commons. The project uses an innovative financial tool called Use Credit Obligations – future-use vouchers that enable communities to fund the purchase of essential assets like housing, energy, and leisure without relying on banks. Instead, returns are kept within the community, creating a cycle of reinvestment and affordability.

Once established, the gym will be the world’s first commons-owned climbing facility and the UK’s first officially insurable key-card access climbing gym. These innovations enable membership fees to be around half the cost of for-profit alternatives, supporting Climbing Commons’ mission of “accessible climbing for all”.

Subsidised pricing for children and low-income users will help break down barriers to participation and offer a welcoming space where intergenerational relationships, social cohesion and resilience can thrive. Indoor climbing is also used as a gateway to outdoor climbing, helping participants develop confidence, wellbeing and a connection to nature.

With this space, Climbing Commons hopes to show how shared ownership, social innovation and sport can come together to transform communities.

Timeline

As soon as possible

About the organisation

Climbing Commons is a social enterprise committed to creating a more connected, equitable and resilient community in Stroud. The project sits within a wider vision developed by Stroud Commons, which is testing new, community-owned models across essential sectors like housing, energy, food and care.

At the heart of Climbing Commons is a desire to use indoor climbing as a tool for personal and social transformation. Their model prioritises affordability, inclusivity, and local ownership. A survey of over 600 potential users found 88% saw climbing as key to their physical health, 83% for recreation, and 68% for mental health – highlighting its broad appeal and impact.

The organisation aims to reduce barriers to access for people from all socio-economic backgrounds and create a space where intergenerational relationships, social cohesion and wellbeing can flourish.

https://climbingcommons.org