The gym at One Leisure Huntingdon’s Impressions fitness suite has almost doubled in size as part of an £800,000 investment in the Huntingdonshire District Council-owned centre.

One Leisure opened its doors to the public after the completion of the first phase of the upgrade which will also see improvements to hospitality provision and Leo’s Funzone soft play facility and which should be ready by April.

The upgraded gym is now on two floors and has been fitted with new cardio, strength, free weight and functional equipment.

Tom Fitzpatrick, strength and conditioning coach for the Wigan Warriors rugby league team, was the special guest and helped put visitors through their paces.

Councillor Daryl Brown, district council portfolio holder for One Leisure, said: “Huntingdonshire District Council is proud to introduce this new facility.

“The council has made a direct investment of almost £800,000 to Huntingdonshire and its community to improve the leisure facilities on offer.

“Encouraging active and healthy lifestyles is at the heart of what we do at One Leisure. By providing a bigger and better space, with state of the art fitness equipment, more people within Huntingdon will be able to make use of the facility, which will have a positive impact on the community’s health and well-being.”

Mr Fitzpatrick joined visitors to demonstrate new gym equipment and run group training sessions using the new S-Drives and functional training rig. He said: “I’m really impressed with the quality and variety of equipment that Huntingdonshire District Council has invested in.

“I’ve never seen a running track in a council gym before and I think you’ll struggle to find another local authority facility with this level of equipment.”

St Ives rugby league and union players also joined Tom for strength and conditioning training on Sunday morning. Visitors also took part in gym-based fitness classes centred on the new equipment.

One Leisure is open seven days a week, there is no fixed contract and during January anyone taking out membership will not be charged the joining fee, saving £30.