Older gym bunnies out in force to welcome new club

Crowds enjoyed a weekend of celebrations at Lanes Health Club on October 21 and 22, after its £400,000 refurbishment.

The club, in Golfers Lane, Angmering was opened following a hefty makeover.

The former Virgin Active club – bought by tennis pro and entrepreneur Chris Lane in July – now features innovative equipment aimed at making excercise inclusive.

Chris said: “It was a fantastic atmosphere and turnout and it reassured us that we are providing the right sort of club and Angmering is exactly the right location!

“People were very keen to have a tour of the refurbished club and feedback was extremely positive. We hope to welcome many new faces over the coming weeks.”

Chris and his fellow investors hope Lanes Health Club will be the first in a chain of “different” UK health and wellbeing clubs, where older members and first-timers feel as comfortable as their younger counterparts.

The refurbished gym features new, joint-friendly fitness equipment, which Chris said is not available anywhere else in the South East,.

“Because the average age of people in this area is higher, I wanted to offer something to the older market, which, in my opinion, has largely been ignored by the fitness industry.

“I know from my own experience that as our body ages, we need to exercise differently than we did in our twenties and thirties.

“I think there are a lot of people like me who are looking for something a bit different in terms of health and wellbeing.”

“In the UK, just eight per cent of the over 45s are members of any clubs but we hope to change all that by offering people what they want in a friendly, sociable environment – our aim is to make our local residents fall in love with exercise and make the club a way of life.”