A newly-refurbished health and fitness club in Salisbury will be reopening its doors on Monday.

Dave Taylor, former owner of Gymies in Blakey Road, took over Downton Leisure Centre at the start of last year.

After months of works to ensure the premises are spick and span for the return of gym-goers, April 12 can't come soon enough.

Salisbury Journal: Dave TaylorDave Taylor

Third time lucky

Dave, 58, was offered the opportunity to run the leisure centre before the first lockdown was announced.

After a complete renovation, the venue finally opened in early September but was forced into a new lockdown just eight weeks later.

It opened up again in early December, but was forced to close once more when the third lockdown came into force in January.

"We've had the keys for 10 months and have been open 11 weeks," he said.

"There's been a lot of sitting around, a lot of building works, a lot of money spent without getting anything in so I'm looking forward to getting going again."

Salisbury Journal: The coffee barThe coffee bar

He added: "The pandemic has showed us that health and fitness is a key factor in saving lives.

"We have experience of getting people of all ages fitter and healthier.

"Our oldest member is 92 – and at the moment she’s fitter than I am."

The revamp

Under Dave's watch, the centre has been completely refurbished to include a coffee bar and sports shop alongside the gym.

There are indoor tennis courts, and facilities for netball, badminton, pickleball, indoor football, massage, table tennis, spin classes and yoga.

Salisbury Journal:

"We are adhering to all current Covid rules to give our customers confidence, but we can’t wait for them to be relaxed and to get back to normal," Dave said.

Due to Covid regulations, anyone wanting to use the gym will need to book a slot in advance.

  • Have you got any exciting plans for the reopening of your gym? Email newsdesk@salisburyjournal.co.uk

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