Former professional footballer Brett Ormerod and his wife, Lisa, have opened an Anytime Fitness gym in a building that was originally built in the 1800s as a train station.

The 5,000sq ft (464.5sq m) facility in the Ribble Building, in Southport, Merseyside, boasts ten pieces of Precor cardiovascular equipment including three Experience Series EFX’s with Converging CrossRamp, five next-generation treadmills and two Adaptive Motion Trainers.

The gym also boasts a Queenax corner unit and the strength area features Precor Vitality Series equipment along with plate-loaded machines. A free-weight area and a studio featuring a virtual fitness system have also been incorporated in to the facility.

A Spin studio featuring nine bikes offers instructor-led fitness sessions, as well as virtual classes using Wellbeats.

Brett, who played for clubs including Southampton, Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Blackpool, ended his 20-year footballing career last year at Bamber Bridge in the North West.

Lisa said: “As an ex professional footballer my husband has always been in the fitness industry and with three children, we wanted to start a business that would benefit us all as a family.”

Paul Bolus, Precor regional sales manager, said: “Anytime Fitness Southport brings a 24-hour, secure, top-end fitness facility to the area. Lisa and Brett bring a vast amount of business knowledge and acumen to the facility and have tirelessly considered every aspect to ensure members have a high quality gym experience.”