Telford's first 24-hour gym brings jobs boost

Banners were going up today to announce Anytime Fitness is moving into the timber-clad building next to Morrisons and opposite the Grazing Cow pub.

Fitness equipment will be installed in the 9,000sq ft site at the 3,000-home Lawley Village development from March and doors are scheduled to open in May.

The gym is the first in the town to be open 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.

Stuart Martin, one of the club's owners, said: "We believe our 24-hour fitness club will be a great addition to the Telford area and provide a convenient and affordable exercise option. I used to work shifts at Epson and there wasn't anywhere I could go to work out.

"There are lots of people in Telford who don't work conventional hours so it's opening up a new way for them to keep fit.

"We will start selling memberships at the end of February and the gym will open in early May. We have been blown away by the reaction on Facebook. We've had 1,700 likes already and we are still three months away from opening."

And the gym is set to bring a jobs boost.

Mr Martin said: "There will be initially four or five new positions and as our membership base increases that will also increase.

"We want the jobs to go to local people. We are trying to make this a community gym so we will be looking to engage with people living in the area and encourage the social side of team activities and events."

Virtual fitness technology will mean gym-goers can take an exercise class in the early hours of the morning without an instructor being there. And while the gym will not be manned 24 hours a day members will be monitored by CCTV for their safety.

For more details search for Anytime Fitness Telford on Facebook.