The existence of Copeland Park as a creative hub, home to a diverse community of artists, dates all the way back to the late 1990s. It wasn’t until 2013, however, that a more direct approach was taken in forming a ‘small business and arts incubator’ in the heart of Peckham. Over the next few years, the Copeland community grew and many of the businesses that have become staples of the local area moved in. Now in 2025, many of these stalwarts of our site are celebrating anniversary milestones, and over the coming months we will be highlighting these achievements with profiles on some of our longest standing residents. Next up in the series are Copeland Park’s longstanding gyms, The Yard and CRANK.

The Copeland Park community has always thrived off of innovation and this attitude can be traced right back to the beginning with the creation of The Yard in 2014. Founders and friends Zade Al-Salim and Gareth Jefferies did what all good start-ups do and identified a niche. They had been training in an underground carpark that they had commandeered but when a stop was put to this, the pair were left struggling to find a gym that suited them, so the Zade and Gareth decided to start their own.

After wrangling together a group of friends they managed to rent gym equipment and found cheap rent in a warehouse unit in Copeland Park. “We could cover the costs if we threw one warehouse party a month, so we thought it was worth a shot.” For Zade and Gareth, there was nowhere like Peckham with its diversity and creativity – the perfect home for the gym they were hoping to create.

The pair set out to do a small number of things very well. First and foremost form, “we wanted to educate members on how to move well and safely.” The second aim was to build a community where people from all walks of life could bond, “over a mutual desire to use their bodies, get stronger and live well.” These foundations turned into The Yard CrossFit gym and CRANK a powerlifting and Functional fitness gym established in 2019 – both housed in the same Copeland Park warehouse unit.

Zade and Gareth had found the perfect home for what they wanted to build: a space where people could train hard but also connect, socialise, and feel part of something bigger than just a gym. “The community-driven ethos of Copeland Park aligns perfectly with what we stand for.” It’s clear even from the outside that both the gyms have these principles at their core. The shutters are always open with lots of different communities inside – mum and baby groups, silver surfers for the older members, and power lifters all mingling together.

CRANK and The Yard aimed for the long-term, both from a business point of view but also for the members. “Training is a journey and we wanted members to take that journey with us.” This means retaining coaches and avoiding the high turnover that can be commonplace at larger gyms – allowing coaches and members to form lasting relationships.

Those relationships are also a key part of another, sometimes forgotten aspect of gym-going – mental rather than physical health. Whilst exercise is definitely a net-positive mentally, there can be occasions where people overtrain as a way of dealing with hard times, which has its own dangers. In part as a result of these instances, Men’s Circle was set up where men can speak about their mental health within a gym setting.

To this day Zade and Gareth have kept the entrepreneurial spark at the heart of the gym and are always willing to try something new and offer up space for people to experiment. This can range from ideas like Men’s Circle or new class offerings, all the way through to a recent wine tasting event.

When looking to the future the plan is to keep experimenting – “more of the same but better – more class offerings, more locations, more community” – while still keeping Copeland Park and its variety at the centre. “Copeland Park makes it possible to train, grab a tiramisu, check out some art, and then have a pint. It’s a special place, and we’re proud to be part of it.”

You can find The Yard and Crank in Unit 1 at Copeland Park. Head to their websites for class details and booking (here and here) and follow them on Instagram (here and here) for all the updates.