Kidbrooke Village: Supporting Residents Beyond the Village

Kidbrooke Village resident, Jonathan Moore, has benefitted from living there in ways beyond the Village boundaries. The gym owner talks about how Berkeley’s initiatives to support small businesses has transformed his operations.

MGM Gym, Deptford

Settling into Kidbrooke Village

Jonathan has been living at Kidbrooke Village for 18 months now as a renter. He came across Kidbrooke Village when he was working as a personal trainer at the David Lloyd Club on-site. “I quickly fell in love with the area and the community, and Kidbrooke Village definitely felt like the right place to call home.”

Whilst working at David Lloyd, he set up Muay Thai classes there, as well as a running club. During that time, alongside his sister Hannah, he decided to set up a free dance club for kids at Kidbrooke Village called Kidbrooke Kollective which allows children in the area to learn dance from a young age. They hold regular dance performances in the Kidbrooke Village community hub and Pegler Square.

Jonathan moved on from David Lloyd and decided to set up his own gym with Hannah, MGM Gym in Deptford.

“Hannah and I always dreamed of starting our own gym together to honour our father, Milton George Moore - a professional table tennis player – which is where the name comes from. We’ve always known our niche and saw first-hand the positive impact that Muay Thai and dance has on people of all ages.”

Seizing the Opportunity From Berkeley

Kidbrooke Village hosted its first Dragons’ Den event in January 2024, forming part of Berkeley’s continuing commitment to nurturing small businesses. The programme gave local entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop their pitching skills and present their business to a panel of judges from local enterprises and members of Greenwich Council, with the winner receiving a £3,000 grant to enable them to take their business to the next level.

Jonathan was encouraged to apply for the Dragons’ Den event by another Kidbrooke Village resident and presented amongst six others, being questioned on his business model, its viability and the vision for the future.  Jonathan won the contest.

What Berkeley’s Support Meant for Jonathan

Jonathan has described winning the Dragon’s Den programme as a ‘game-changer’ for his business.
“The £3,000 grant has offered us support with branding, marketing and mentoring, significantly increasing our visibility in the local area. The Berkeley event held at Kidbrooke Village introduced us to our business advisor at Southeast Enterprise who has been invaluable to us for guidance. We were also introduced to a fellow resident, Olga, who is a photographer. Hannah and I did an incredible shoot with Olga, giving us a more professional edge for our website.”

Looking to the future, Jonathan is hoping to install a professional dance floor at the gym, complete the Muay Thai ring, introduce an official shop front, and add showers and changing rooms so that members can go straight to work after their morning classes.

He is also currently working with Lewisham Council and local charity groups, offering Muay Thai classes to children with special needs, those out of education, in care, in foster homes and prison inmates. Next year, he is hoping to help thousands of people get back into employment, education and apprenticeships.

Being a Berkeley resident at Kidbrooke Village has opened up opportunities to Jonathan that he otherwise would not have had, and we look forward to supporting other residents and their small businesses with future initiatives. 

The next Dragon’s Den will take place at Kidbrooke Village early 2025. Click here for more information.

Kidbrooke Village is one of London’s most significant regeneration projects with £1 billion investment transforming the area into the city’s newest neighbourhood south of the river. Delivering over 5,200 homes by 2034, Kidbrooke Village offers a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom high-quality homes, as well as a curated collection of four-bedroom freehold townhouses. Visit our website for more information.