Paralympic star opens K2's new fitness suite

Crawley based Paralympian Katie-George uses K2 Crawley for her training.

She said: “I have been training at K2 Crawley for over 18 months now thanks to Crawley Borough Council’s FACTS scheme which supports Crawley’s talented sports people. The gym was pretty good before but with the new kit it is now one of the best around and will hugely aid my training for Tokyo 2020. I’m delighted to be part of the opening and to finally be allowed to try out the new kit.”

A statement from Freedom Leisure said: “Today we unveiled our brand new gym and spin studio with Cabinet member for Wellbeing, Councillor Chris Mullins and local Paralympian and World Cycling Champion with pilot, Katie George-Dunlevy, formally cutting the ribbon.

“ Work to develop the fitness suite first started in July; kicked off by improvements to the group exercise studios. This first phase was completed in November and has resulted in around 400 extra exercise class places available each week! Now with the new gym and cycle studio also complete the total number of weekly group exercise places available each week will be 5042 along with increased gym capacity – this means more people being able to do the exercise they love! Crawley Borough Council invested £900,000 into the extensive developments to ensure residents in Crawley can continue to benefit from the very best facilities.

“Phase two of improvements included; an extension to the existing gym, increasing the number of stations and the free weights area, plus brand new kit throughout, along with the creation of the new cycle studio. The gym equipment has been replaced with some of the very latest, and most sought after pieces of kit!

“One of the many highlights is the full TechnoGym Kinesis range – making it the only gym in Crawley (and one of a few in the UK) to have the entire collection. This specialist kit allows weight training for all; super easy and gentle to use for complete novices and older members, yet extremely selectable, making it a must for the centre’s more advanced weight lifters.

“Meanwhile, the brand new 30-bike indoor cycling studio with the latest virtual TechnoGym Group Cycle offering is one of very few examples of its kind away from boutique studios in London – making it by far one of the best cycling studios in the wide area!”

Darryl Keech, Freedom Leisure Area Manager, says: “It is a really exciting time for the team who are all very much looking forward to welcoming customers in and showing off the new facilities. K2 Crawley now boasts one of the best fitness suites in the area and we would like to take this opportunity to thank the council for such a significant investment and for having such a forward thinking vision.”

Cabinet member for Wellbeing, Councillor Chris Mullins, said: “The extension to the gym is fantastic and am I delighted that the work is finally complete. I am sure that many of K2 Crawley’s customers are looking forward to taking advantage of what this first class facility has to offer!”

Tony Smith, ITC Concepts Director, who were the building contractors for the project, added: “It’s always special to work on projects that are about more than just a physical space. K2 Crawley plays a hugely important role in the area, providing state-of-the-art facilities for local residents and aspiring sport stars alike. We hope the local community enjoy using the new facilities as much as we’ve enjoyed working on them.”

n To celebrate, the leisure centre is having an open day on Saturday January 27, 10am to 4pm, where visitors can try out the new facilities for free and also take the opportunity to have a go at other free sports taster sessions and also swim with friends and family for just £1!

New gym and indoor cycling studio taster sessions will be available on a first come first served basis.

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