If you haven’t been to Indirock before—welcome! We’re Southend-on-Sea’s only bouldering gym, based in the Victoria Shopping Centre.
Since opening in March 2022, we’ve been on a mission to introduce more people to climbing, and to create a friendly, inclusive space for anyone who wants to give it a go.
Many people think running a climbing gym is all fun and games, with unlimited free climbing… The dream job! But there’s so much more going on behind the scenes.
Running Indirock means constantly switching between roles: from fundraising to accountancy and web-editing, from coach to cleaner and barista… It’s part of what makes this work so challenging—and rewarding.
Helping People Discover Climbing
Opening the only bouldering wall in an area, you can’t just open your doors and expect people to flood in. A big part of our job is outreach and education: simply helping people understand what bouldering is, and showing them that it’s for them. It’s social, physical, empowering, and genuinely fun, and it welcomes all kinds of people, no matter their background or experience level.
So how do we spread the word and help more people feel at home here? And how do we go this extra mile with only a small team? Here’s a small insight into how it works..!
Small Team, Big Commitment
At Indirock, no one sticks to a single job description. We’ve all got our areas of focus, but we all pitch in wherever needed, and we take pride in that.
Johnny, our Centre Manager, keeps everything ticking behind the scenes, but you’ll just as likely see him out at events with our mobile climbing wall, then hot-footing it back to run a large school group!
Jack Thomas is one of our main routesetters, but also coaches our NICAS sessions and private lessons. He also makes a mean coffee.
Bianca looks after our social media and photography, but you’ll find her just as often behind the front desk or café counter.
Ramona, our admin and marketing assistant, handles school bookings and stock orders, but you’ll also find her signing people in while designing flyers on Canva.
Buster balances school groups, coffee-making, and answers any tech questions we have about our Beta software like a pro.
Jack Bekir leads Wild Climbers and our kids’ parties.
Joe helps with routesetting and introduces people to the splatter board. Jess jumps in to host fantastic workshops. Karl runs our Bouldering Together sessions with real heart.
Sofia and Zain, newer to the team, have proven themselves across both the climbing and café sides.
Kai, James T, and Will are our go-to coffee crew, who are always ready to switch gears and jump in on the climbing side when needed.
And then there’s Emily, often behind the scenes, juggling meetings, funding bids and big-picture plans to make climbing more accessible to our local community (as well as small-picture stuff like managing suppliers and bookkeeping!).
“Nobody said that opening a bouldering wall would be easy, but nothing quite prepared me for how difficult our journey would be! Opening our doors as Lockdowns finally lifted in 2022, Indirock has been on a rollercoaster adapting to a new economic reality, with Cost of Living pressures still gripping our local community today.
“What has made it all possible is the incredible team we’ve gathered along the way – some have been with us since day one, some have joined more recently, and every one of them has contributed to making our dream a reality. So many people hold Indirock up as one of the best things to have happened to Southend in recent years, and to hear feedback like that makes it all worth it. We’re endlessly proud to still be here 3 years in, and we’re excited for many more happy years to come!” – Emily Vermont, Founder & CEO of Indirock
It’s a Team Sport
No matter what someone’s title is, chances are they’ve served a flat white, run an induction, or helped someone find their feet on the wall. That’s the reality of small business life: it takes teamwork, flexibility, and a lot of care.
It’s not always easy—especially in today’s economic climate—but we love what we do. And nearly three years in, we’re still here, still growing, and still welcoming new faces every week.
If you’ve been thinking about visiting Indirock, consider this your sign. Come in, give climbing a go, and say hi to the team. We might be wearing a few different hats—but we’ll always greet you with a smile.
See you on the mats.
