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Ladies only gym promising a 'safe space for women' opening this weekend

Ladies only gym promising a 'safe space for women' opening this weekend

Yahooa day ago

A ladies only gym promising a safe space for women is to open in Southampton this weekend.
Personal trainers Hayley Rich and Cara Rowe are hosting an open event to launch Valkyrie Fitness at Drivers Wharf in Northam Road on Sunday from 11am.
From the seed of an idea back in March, the two floor premises has already been transformed to include strength machines, cardio equipment and plenty of room for classes.
(Image: Valkryie Fitness)READ MORE: Son of Michelin star chef opens another restaurant in Southampton
Hayley, who has been in the industry since 2018, explained: "Over the years, I've realised I wanted to build a safe space for women.
"We're all about confidence building, empowering women and building a community. We want to show that health and fitness doesn't have to be intimidating or overwhelming, we're aiming for a very chilled atmosphere.
"When I came up with the idea for the gym, I contacted Cara who I had worked with at a previous gym and who also only works with women, and here we are just a few weeks later."
Cara, who lost five stone in weight in 2019 before qualifying as a personal trainer, added: "It's more of a community vibe and a supportive space that we're going for than the normal gym experience.
"I've walked the walk and I'm very keen to help others live healthier lives."
(Image: Valkryie Fitness) Valkyrie Fitness will welcome all ladies of any ability and any age for training and classes including boot camp, circuits, legs, bums and tums, and recovery and stretching at various intensities.
It will have a particular focus on mental health and wellbeing with wellness days and seminars on subjects including the menopause and other women's issues.
The gym will also include a chill out area with bean bags, a coffee machine area if clients would like to sit down for a drink and a chat after their workout and positive affirmations on the bathroom wall.
All are welcome to attend the launch on Sunday with goodie bags and a class for the first ladies through the doors.
(Image: Valkryie Fitness)

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Ladies only gym promising a 'safe space for women' opening this weekend
Ladies only gym promising a 'safe space for women' opening this weekend

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

Ladies only gym promising a 'safe space for women' opening this weekend

A ladies only gym promising a safe space for women is to open in Southampton this weekend. Personal trainers Hayley Rich and Cara Rowe are hosting an open event to launch Valkyrie Fitness at Drivers Wharf in Northam Road on Sunday from 11am. From the seed of an idea back in March, the two floor premises has already been transformed to include strength machines, cardio equipment and plenty of room for classes. (Image: Valkryie Fitness)READ MORE: Son of Michelin star chef opens another restaurant in Southampton Hayley, who has been in the industry since 2018, explained: "Over the years, I've realised I wanted to build a safe space for women. "We're all about confidence building, empowering women and building a community. We want to show that health and fitness doesn't have to be intimidating or overwhelming, we're aiming for a very chilled atmosphere. "When I came up with the idea for the gym, I contacted Cara who I had worked with at a previous gym and who also only works with women, and here we are just a few weeks later." Cara, who lost five stone in weight in 2019 before qualifying as a personal trainer, added: "It's more of a community vibe and a supportive space that we're going for than the normal gym experience. "I've walked the walk and I'm very keen to help others live healthier lives." (Image: Valkryie Fitness) Valkyrie Fitness will welcome all ladies of any ability and any age for training and classes including boot camp, circuits, legs, bums and tums, and recovery and stretching at various intensities. It will have a particular focus on mental health and wellbeing with wellness days and seminars on subjects including the menopause and other women's issues. The gym will also include a chill out area with bean bags, a coffee machine area if clients would like to sit down for a drink and a chat after their workout and positive affirmations on the bathroom wall. All are welcome to attend the launch on Sunday with goodie bags and a class for the first ladies through the doors. (Image: Valkryie Fitness)

Michelin-rated chef arrested on domestic violence charges at West Palm Beach home
Michelin-rated chef arrested on domestic violence charges at West Palm Beach home

Yahoo

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Michelin-rated chef arrested on domestic violence charges at West Palm Beach home

A renowned chef and the owner of the lone Michelin-starred restaurant in West Palm Beach is facing domestic battery charges after police alleged he assaulted a woman during an incident at his home. Jacob Bickelhaupt, the chef and owner of Konro restaurant, is facing one count each of domestic battery causing bodily harm and domestic battery following his arrest June 2 by West Palm Beach police. According to his arrest report, Bickelhaupt repeatedly punched and kicked the woman, leaving her with two black eyes, and with swelling and bruising on her face. The woman reportedly went to Palm Beach International Airport after the attack to try to buy a flight to her family's home but suffered a seizure at the ticket counter. She received emergency care at St. Mary's Medical Center. During a hearing June 3 at the Palm Beach County Jail, Circuit Judge Daliah Weiss ruled that Bickelhaupt, 41, is indigent and assigned a public defender to represent him. She set his bail at $90,000 and ordered that he be placed on in-house arrest with an ankle monitor if he is released. As a matter of policy, the county Public Defender's Office does not comment on active cases. After his arrest, Bickelhaupt requested to speak to an attorney and did not make other statements to investigators, his arrest report said. More: Dwyer student accused of torching classmate's car faces 2 more 'retaliation' arson charges The arrest marks the second time within the past decade Bickelhaupt has faced an allegation of domestic violence. In June 2017, Chicago police arrested him on charges that he assaulted a woman, throwing her to the ground and striking her in the head with a bottle, according to multiple published reports. He pleaded guilty to a charge of simple battery and was ordered to undergo mandatory drug and alcohol testing, complete a domestic violence program and pay fines. Shortly after the Chicago arrest, Bickelhaupt closed 42 Grams, his popular restaurant on Chicago's north side that at one time also earned Michelin-star status. In 2023, he opened Konro in West Palm Beach, on Park Place off South Dixie Highway near the Norton Museum of Art. It is a menu-free tasting restaurant with 10 counter seats and a steep, three-figure per person price tag for admission. In 2024, the Michelin Guide announced it would be rating Palm Beach County's restaurants, and in April, Konro was awarded a single Michelin star, making it the county's first and only restaurant to carry a star from the vaunted guide. According to Bickelhaupt's arrest report, his current accuser told investigators that he repeatedly attacked her over the span of two hours, even as she tried to leave the home. Once the attack stopped, the woman packed a bag and called for a ride to PBIA, where she collapsed, the arrest report said. Officers detained Bickelhaupt that night and took him to police headquarters for questioning. Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@ and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Michelin-star chef arrested on domestic violence charges in West Palm

'My mum never got to travel the world, hopefully her next journey lasts longer than 12 hours'
'My mum never got to travel the world, hopefully her next journey lasts longer than 12 hours'

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time3 days ago

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'My mum never got to travel the world, hopefully her next journey lasts longer than 12 hours'

A woman who bottled her mum's ashes and threw them out to sea hopes her mum will now 'finally get chance to see the world' thanks to the kindness of strangers on social media. Cara Melia and her four siblings tragically lost their mum Wendy aged just 51 unexpectedly to heart disease in February of this year. During a recent visit to a beach in Skegness, Cara, from Oldham, decided that instead of scattering her mum's ashes, she would bottle them with a handwritten note and send them out to sea in the hopes her mum would travel the world. READ MORE: Missing Brit Greg Monks who disappeared after Portugal stag do found dead READ MORE: Alleged 'mastermind' fled to South America after Thomas Campbell 'tortured to death', jury told Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE Having always wanted to have travelled, Wendy never got the chance due to being full-time carer for her late brother and mum, and was a stay-at-home mum to her five children in the Sholver area. Speaking to the M.E.N, Cara said: "We lost my mum very unexpectedly. Nobody was prepared for at all. "We had the funeral and she was cremated. I had booked a holiday to go to Butlins with my friend in Skegness, so I thought I'd scatter her on the beach where she was at her happiest. "But my best friend thought of the bottle idea and put her out to sea. I wrote the note because I wanted her to finally get to travel because she didn't get to before she passed. "For a long time she looked after her late brother and her mum as their carer. She had five children who she ended up loving and adoring. "She was very quirky and different. She always loved her leather jacket and her boots. If she could be anywhere it would always be the beach. It didn't matter where it was. But just 12 hours after releasing the bottle into the sea at Ingoldmells Beach, another woman also on holiday at Butlins with her two children saw the bottle had washed up onto shore, and read the handwritten message from Cara, asking for any finders to throw it back into the water. "This is my mum. Throw her back in she's travelling the world," the note read. After finding the bottle and reading the note, the mum then posted a heart-warming status on Facebook, along with a video of her son throwing the bottle back into the sea, relying on the power of social media to track Cara down and inform her that Wendy was getting another chance at travelling. "Can everyone please share this far and wide in hope it finds Cara from Oldham!!," it read. "We found this lovely lady earlier today at Butlins, Skegness beach. She's been thrown back in the sea as requested.. happy travels Cara's Mum." Within minutes, the post had been re-shared in a number of groups and quickly made its way back to Cara, who now lives in Royton. "I'd thrown the bottle in hoping she'd have a good travel but within 12 hours she was back on the beach and it didn't go as planned," Cara added. "Then my best friend rang me and said 'your mum's on Facebook' and told me someone had found her already. I have said a big thank you to her for putting her back in the sea because so many people wouldn't have bothered. "I am hoping she goes further this time and finally gets a chance to travel the world. It seems to have touched so many people." --- Day in day out, our reporters in the Manchester Evening News newsroom bring you remarkable stories from all aspects of Mancunian life. However, with the pace of life these days, the frenetic news agenda and social media algorithms, you might not be getting a chance to read it. That's why every week our Features and Perspectives editor Rob Williams brings you Unmissable, highlighting the best of what we do - bringing it to you directly from us. Make sure you don't miss out, and see what else we have to offer, by clicking here and signing up for MEN Daily News. And be sure to join our politics writer Jo Timan every Sunday for his essential commentary on what matters most to you in Greater Manchester each week in our newsletter Due North. You can also sign up for that here. You can also get all your favourite content from the Manchester Evening News on WhatsApp. Click here to see everything we offer, including everything from breaking news to Coronation Street. If you prefer reading our stories on your phone, consider downloading the Manchester Evening News app here, and our news desk will make sure every time an essential story breaks, you'll be the first to hear about it. And finally, if there is a story you think our journalists should be looking into, we want to hear from you. Email us on newsdesk@ or give us a ring on 0161 211 2920.

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