By Peter Mann

Gamlingay gym, based at the village primary school in Station Road, has all the equipment one would expect to help keep one fit.

The equipment includes a treadmill, exercise bikes, weightlifting, lateral pulldown equipment and a new leg raise / leg curl machine.

The gym is open and staffed by two instructors, who can give on-the-spot advice of how best to use everything…

• Mondays to Fridays from 9.30 am to 1.00 pm and 5.00 to 9.00 pm.
• Saturday and Sunday from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm.

Membership costs (check with the gym as they are no longer listed on its website)…

• £35.00 / month.
• £30.00 / month for over 65s and 14 to 17 year olds or students with ID.

• Exercise referral scheme in operation.
• All weather pitches can be booked for football, hockey and tennis – for all ages, including children’s football birthday parties.

Facebook  www.facebook.com/GamlingayCommunityGym.
Website  www.gamlingayleisure.clubright.co.uk/home.

Chequered history

The gym reopened in June 2022 and marked a milestone of community teamwork to resolve the ‘will it / won’t it’ debate created when the old village college became a primary school owned by Cam Academy Trust – which closed the gym in March 2020, citing the Covid-19 pandemic as its reason.

The Trust also threw doubt into the gym’s viability, saying it would be illegal for the school to support the gym financially.

Not to be thwarted, residents set up Gamlingay Leisure as a charity to retain the gym and outdoor floodlit sports pitches (which can be hired for hockey, tennis and five-a-side football).

As keen gym goers, they had not forgotten the gym was created under a long-term dual use agreement between the then school operators and South Cambs District Council, which funded a major (£200,000) refurbishment in 2012, with the condition the gym should remain open until at least 2024 – see page three of the Gamlingay Gazette, May 2021.

South Cambridgeshire District Council also awarded the gym £7,454 in July 2021 towards new equipment and refreshing the gym, as well as an extra £2,000 from SCDC’s Community Chest fund towards new gym equipment and an improved online booking system.

Simon Fisher, trustee of the charity which now runs the facilities, said: “This is more than just a gym – it’s a community focal point for people to drop in and socialise, enjoy the benefits of having fun while working out and promote wellbeing and mental health.

“We cannot thank everyone enough for supporting us to achieve this – with a special thank you to local businesses Pinewood Structures, Brogan Group, Cousins Safety and F Mark Ltd who have supported the charity.”

_{Post created 27th June 2022; layout updated 4th January 2023; minor text updates 22nd March 2024.}