Following the closure of The Arch in 2025, Andy Savage’s Community Interest Company has reopened Surrey Quays Shopping Centre facility
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It was the first day after the initial lockdown had ended that Andy Savage was run over by a car – the first time he’d left his house in three months.
His injuries left the serial entrepreneur and passionate climber completely immobile for 18 months, before more than two years of painstaking physiotherapy saw him gradually learn to walk again.
“I’m now at about 80% of where I was before the accident and half of that loss is due to age anyway, so I consider myself on the luckier end of the spectrum,” he said.
As part of his rehabilitation, the Bermondsey resident was eager to get back to the hobby he loved and became a regular at The Arch Climbing Wall in Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, as soon as he was given the all clear by his doctors.
“I was kind of nervous the first time I went back, but I soon remembered how much I liked it,” said Andy.
“It’s a close community and I chose this wall rather than a larger one because I thought it would be cosier and it was.
“At first I was a bit disheartened as I’d lost mobility and strength – I hadn’t done it for five years and I had to start at the beginning again – but in climbing you’re only competing against yourself and I pushed on.
“I’d been coming here about a year before they announced it would be closing.”
Having started his first business aged 18 at university, Andy has enjoyed success as an entrepreneur as well as some “utter failures”.
However, you don’t have to spend long in his company to see his appetite for opportunity is undimmed, so his decision to create a Community Interest Company to reopen the climbing wall when The Arch closed in 2025, has probably come as little surprise to those who know him.
driven by resilience
“I became an entrepreneur through stubbornness and optimism,” he said.
“Even when I couldn’t move after the accident, I was thinking of business ideas.
“I’m not sure I can actually stop doing that.
“Before Covid, I’d tried travelling for six months – I enjoyed it, but I didn’t feel remotely fulfilled.
“I actually offered to take the wall over on the day it closed, but the company had gone into liquidation and everything had to go through the administrators.”
Gantry Climbing has now launched, a year on from the closure, and is welcoming climbers with a new, improved offering.
“We’ve got 6,000sq ft of space here offering a whole range of climbing challenges across a range of bouldering walls including slabs, a feature arch and a training board,” said Andy.
“We’re very local and family-oriented – it’s a nice community vibe.
“We have a dedicated children’s wall, which not all centres offer, and problems that are suitable for absolute beginners.
“We also have a small gym area so people can combine their workouts with climbing.
“We offer monthly memberships and day passes, so there’s flexibility.”
spreading the joy
While much of the infrastructure remained in place, the opening of Gantry Climbing has involved an extensive programme of deep cleaning and updating the facilities.
“The biggest joy for me with this business is to introduce people to this fantastic sport,” said Andy.
“Just seeing their smiles at the end of the sessions and then hearing them say they want to do it again, is very rewarding.
“We recommend that adults do an hour’s course when they first come in, and then they can climb until we close.
“We make sure people learn the right techniques and that they’re safe. We’re doing beginner sessions at the moment, but we also want to offer improver sessions.
“We’re currently working with schools, devising programmes for them and then we’ll be getting the kids in.
“We’re also going to be offering corporate rates, but this is first and foremost a community venture. The medium-term goal is to have enough members to justify a move to a new unit when the shopping centre is redeveloped.
“Right now, I’m just happy that people are able to keep climbing here. So much hard work has gone into getting this far and to see it all come to life, with the place buzzing with climbers again, has made every late night worth it.
“We want it to belong to the community. Whether you climbed here for years, have always fancied giving it a go or just live locally and are curious, come down and say hello.
“You don’t need any experience or your own kit. We’ll sort you out with shoes and chalk, then show you the ropes.”
key details: Gantry Climbing
Gantry Climbing is located at Surrey Quays Shopping Centre and is open daily.
Membership costs £65 per month, while day passes for adults are £14.
Check the website here for full pricing details and opening hours.
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