heAlth And fitness


New facilities unveiled at North Somerset venue


New facilities have been opened at Churchill Sports Centre, Churchill Green, by North Somerset Council (NSC) and leisure trust Tone following a £900,000 investment. A £300,000 all-weather 3G artificial pitch


has been provided at the facility, while a new gym with 30 stations and accessible changing facilities have also been created. Te investment by NSC and Tone also


included the conversion of an old gym into a multi-purpose studio and an upgrade of the swimming pool lighting.


MMA star plans gym expansion


Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) star Khalid Ismail has con- firmed plans for the expansion of his Lions Den Gyms (LDG) business at locations “in a radius around London”. LDG was launched by


Ismail in 2006 and cur- rently has two centres, one in Chadwell Heath and another in Romford. It is hoped a third site will open in early 2012. Ismai l told Le i sure


Opportunities the Romford club, which was unveiled in early 2010, was funded through reinvesting capital following the success of LDG’s first site. Meanwhile, Ismail has also worked with


Ismail plans to expand the Lions Den Gyms brand across the UK


local community groups in an effort to engage more young people to take up sport and to focus on learning and training. Ismail hopes expanding LDG and offering a “gym for everyone, no matter what your age,


Te centre was designed by Holder Mathias


Afan Lido demolition work now underway


Plans for the multi-million pound redevel- opment of the Afan Lido complex in Port Talbot have moved forward aſter contrac- tors started demolition work at the site. A £13.6m Holder Mathias Architects-


designed facility is mooted for the site, aſter the existing building was destroyed by a large fire in December 2009. It is currently proposed that the replace-


ment facility will be completed in 2013, with the initial plans featuring the provision of a six-lane, 25m swimming pool; a four-court sports hall; and a learners’ pool.


Wootton Bassett in line for new leisure facilities


Plans for a “multi-purpose community campus” in Wootton Bassett have moved forward after the local authority’s area board gave the project the green light. Under plans backed by Wiltshire


Council’s Wootton Basset and Cricklade Area Board, it has been proposed that a split site will be developed to incorporate a range of leisure and community services. Included in the development proposals


is the creation of a campus building in the Lime Kiln area, which will offer indoor and outdoor sports space; a gym and dance stu- dios; and a six-lane swimming pool.


6 Fit4less opens new location in Stockport


Fit4less, the low-cost gym concept from énergie Group, has opened its 14th UK club in Stockport, with more loca- tions to follow “shortly”. Te launch of the 5,000sq ſt


(465sq m) facility in Stockport comes aſter the opening of the Fit4less Hartlepool and ahead of the “imminent” opening of a site in Port Talbot. Facilities at the Stockport


branch include a cardio the- atre and a free weights area equipped by Precor. Personal training and group classes are also available. David Beattie, brand and marketing director


at énergie, said: “Te Fit4less brand is increas- ingly popular amongst investors looking to capitalise on the surge in demand for afford- able quality gyms.


Te Stockport club is the latest addition to the Fit4Less portfolio “Te support network from marketing to


training is giving our franchisees all the tools necessary to see memberships come in even before the doors open as well as drive sales to meet and exceed targets.”


Buxton Swimming and Fitness Centre reopens


Buxton Swimming and Fitness Centre has been relaunched by High Peak Borough Council (HPBC) and DC Leisure, following the com- pletion of a refurbishment project. Te new-look venue incorporates a 25m, six- lane competition pool and a teaching pool,


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital


plus a 32-station Kinetika fitness suite with Technogym and Escape Fitness equipment. An official opening event took place to mark


the venue’s relaunch on 24 September, which enabled visitors to participate in a number of free activities.


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2011


fitness level or background”, will help address some issues that led to August’s riots. He said: “Tere is definitely a call for more


centres like ours to be opened in and around London. Te riots were about people being drawn into an atmosphere and a way of think- ing which is destructive.”


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