Local Sporting Hero, Saskia Clark Officially Opens David Lloyd Colchester

The new state-of-the-art £10 million David Lloyd Colchester has been officially opened by Olympic Gold Medallist Sailor, Saskia Clark on Thursday 17^th November. The event aimed to engage and inspire David Lloyd Colchester’s young members with a host of sport and sailing themed activities. The youngsters were left in awe after gazing at Saskia’s hard-earned medals and being awarded their own medals from her after an energetic hour of games. The Colchester- born champion cut the ribbon alongside the club’s general manager, Jon Kohn to declare the premier health and leisure club officially open.

Colchester’s latest club is situated in the developing Northern Gateway has created more than 70 new local jobs and offers the whole family excellent facilities, services and programmes to achieve their health, fitness and wellbeing goals. The club offers so much more than simply a state-of-the-art gym. With tennis and over 150 group exercise classes a week, indoor, outdoor and kids swimming pools, extensive children’s lessons, after school and holiday activities, as well as a soft indoor play area centred around the warm and friendly DLicious cafebar, the club offers everything families could want to make the most of their leisure time together. The club’s neighbours include the community football stadium, and plans are in place for a new housing village, cinema with IMAX provision, a dozen restaurants, a hotel and extreme sports facilities.

Saskia Clark said:  “It’s fantastic to return to my home town to officially open the new David Lloyd Club. Sport and fitness was such a huge part of my childhood, and it’s been fantastic to meet and offer encouragement to the next generation of aspiring sports stars. It really is impressive and a great asset to the new Northern Gateway area and for the community as a whole”.

Jon Kohn, David Lloyd Colchester’s general manager said, “We are thrilled to welcome such a fantastic role model for the youngsters of Colchester and we are delighted we are able to celebrate Saskia’s success whilst we commemorate the official launch of the club. Since we first opened our doors last month we have been overwhelmed with the warmth and enthusiasm from the residents of Colchester.

“The state of the art health and leisure facilities have proved to be a big hit with local families, couples and friends wanting to exercise and socialise both together and on their own and we look forward to welcoming many more members into our club over the next few months and into the future.”

At David Lloyd Colchester:

Gym and Fitness: Enjoy a completely new gym concept here in Colchester, integrating every type of exercise into a friendly, open-plan layout. The gym is divided into specialised zones, including areas dedicated to stretching and cardio, with some really exciting equipment like Woodway Curve treadmills and Wattbikes. One of the zones offers functional training equipment, including the SYNRGY360 ‘playground’. The SYNRGY equipment is ideal to add into a personal routine, or members are invited to give one of the fast classes a try, run by expert Personal Trainers. As well as lots of amazing equipment, the gym at Colchester features the unique Boditrax system.

Group Exercise: The range of group exercise classes at Colchester is second to none. Three studios have been designed just for group exercise and lots of classes every week, so there are lots to choose from. Holistic classes take place in the tranquil Mind & Body Studio, and high intensity training on brilliant Les Mills equipment in the High Impact Studio. The studios are completed with a cutting-edge group cycling studio.

Tennis: Five outdoor courts and three indoor courts enable tennis play throughout the year. In the winter, four of the outdoor tennis courts are covered with a unique tennis ‘bubble’, enabling more space to play tennis throughout the year.

Swim and Spa: Enter the Colchester club through reception and members will spot the lovely 20m indoor pool and a 25m heated outdoor pool. Being the only club in Colchester with both indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and trained lifeguards, make them perfect for splashing around with the family. The All Stars Swim programme is a great way to turn the little ones into strong, confident swimmers, all whilst having lots of fun. Come summertime, when the loungers are out, members are invited to sit back and relax. Spa fans can let tension and stress soak away in the sauna, steam room and whirlpool, or stretch out on one of many soothing heated beds. If the sun’s out, members will be able to retreat to the wonderful spa garden; the perfect spot for some ‘me-time’ in beautiful surroundings. 

Family Time: DL Kids offers the perfect solution for 3-11 year olds – whether that’s booking in for a little one’s Birthday party, or the great DL Kids classes in the separate DL Kids area. For the older kids, Fitness Into Teens (F.I.T) classes are a great way for teenagers to build healthy habits for life. Plus, the DLicious cafebar has a great soft play frame and a dedicated kids area with lots of seating so they are safe whilst having fun.   

Relax: The DLicious cafebar has with something for everyone – a family area, a playframe for the kids, an Adult's Only lounge for catching up on emails. It’s where members can socialise with friends, bump into their trainer or enjoy a family meal from the amazing DLicious menu. A fantastic range of really tasty food for both adults and kids awaits, giving the choice of a healthy dish or a treat.

For further information please visit www.davidlloyd.co.uk/colchester

ENDS

Note to editors: For further information about this press release, contact the David Lloyd Leisure press office on +44 (0)1707 289833/4 or email [email protected].

About David Lloyd Leisure Group

The David Lloyd Leisure Group operates 83 clubs in the UK and a further 11 clubs across Europe, comprising David Lloyd Clubs , Harbour Clubs, plus the high street concept, David Lloyd Studio. It has approximately 480,000 members and employs 6,000 people. This includes an expert health and fitness team of over 1,800, while it contracts the services of more than 400 tennis professionals. Across all clubs, David Lloyd Leisure has over 150 swimming pools (of which half are indoor) and offers over 10,000 exercise classes per week. Every week 20,000 children learn to swim at David Lloyd Leisure and 12,500 learn to play tennis. Its racquets facilities are unparalleled with 800 tennis courts as well as 180 badminton courts and 140 squash courts. Additional facilities include health and beauty spas, club lounges with free internet access, crèches, nurseries and specialist sports shops.