Jesmond Swimming Pool, a community managed pool in Newcastle Upon Tyne, recently benefitted from a £250k extension featuring a state-of-the-art fitness suite and treatment rooms.

Built alongside the pool hall and utilising a garden area, the new extension provides an additional 45 sq m of space, in addition to the original 250 sq m fitness suite and allows for an increase in capacity. Locals flocked to the grand opening ceremony on 1st December where 15 year old, S7 400m Freestyle Paralympic Gold Medallist, World Record Holder and BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year, Josef Craig, declared the facility open.

The new 30-station air-conditioned fitness centre benefits from floor to ceiling windows that look out at an elevated level onto the street. The site is the first in the North of England to showcase Precor's latest technological breakthough, the award-winning AMT with Open Stride, along with elliptical crosstrainers and other cardiovascular pieces. The gym also has a functional training zone which will be used to encourage a variety of user groups from the community, as well as being available to drive personal training revenue.

Managed and operated by Jesmond Community Leisure, a charitable trust, Jesmond Swimming Pool relies on the support of its customers and friends to supplement earned income. Glenn Armstrong, Chief Executive at Jesmond Community Leisure said: "The gym area was completely full at times and it was necessary that we increase space to accommodate the community needs. As we receive excellent business support from Precor and the original gym featured Precor equipment, we decided to install more Precor kit so that our users were familiar with how it works. The cardio area is always busy and so it was a natural option for us to feature Precor's new AMT with Open Stride."

In addition to the fitness suite, Jesmond Swimming Pool offers public swimming and swim classes, as well as other activities such as spinning, dance and yoga. Sauna's, steam and treatment rooms are also provided. Membership ranges from young children, students through to the elderly and GP referrals, and the fitness suites are open to members as well as casual users. The centre prides itself on opening 7 days a week for long hours and is even open most bank holidays.

Jez Whitling, Sales Director for Precor UK comments: "Jesmond Swimming Pool is a hub of activity for the local area and the centre was in need of additional gym space in order to accommodate the high usage level. The fitness suite is extremely impressive and the new AMT with Open Stride will be a great asset to members and should help free up other pieces of cardio equipment."