A new-look fitness suite has been unveiled at Hawthorn Leisure Centre in Pontypridd, South Wales, following a £70,000 scheme to upgrade the facility.

Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (RCTCBC), which operates the venue, has leased 40 pieces of new equipment as part of a lease agreement with Life Fitness.

The facility, which offers a free weights area and a stretch area, also includes a layout that incorporates Life Fitness' Life Fitness Journey to guide users in their training.

Robert Bevan, cabinet member for culture and recreation at RCTCBC, said: "The newly-refurbished fitness suite at Hawthorn Leisure Centre is exemplary and will undoubtedly impress the regular users while also rapidly increasing the current customer base. "A range of groundbreaking leisure initiatives are also being run, such as health referral schemes offering tailor-made exercise programmes to help patients on the road to recovery."

Life Fitness also recently installed a 120-station fitness club at the newly opened £36m Surrey Sports Park.Facilities at the 700sq m (7,535sq ft) Surrey club also include three multi-purpose sports halls, six squash courts and a climbing wall, as well as three exercise/dance studios.

Picture: Olympic sprinter Darren Campbell opened the new-look fitness facility