The owner of a new gym in Crieff has given The Courier a first look inside the refurbished building.
Simon Hughes has unveiled The Gym Crieff, located on the site of the former Tower Bakery on the High Street.
The 43-year-old moved to the town in 2020 with his family and decided to convert the empty building.
He has organised an open day on Saturday, from 10am to 5pm, before the official start date on Sunday.
Simon told The Courier the abandoned former bakery “looked awful” when work began.
“It was a complete mess, pretty hideous so at least three months of the work was literally clearing out rubbish,” he said.
“It looked awful but we haven’t had to do anything too major.
“We got change of use planning and we put on a steel roof to make sure it was water-tight.
“Other than that, it’s just been making it look nice and feel nice.”
He told The Courier earlier this year that the idea sparked local interest.
Nine months later, the gym is now ready to open its doors.
What equipment will the Crieff gym have?
Simon said the facility will ‘have a bit of everything’.
“It’s a bit different, I suppose, to what some gyms might have,” he added.
“In terms of weights, there are lots of barbells, dumbbells, leg machine, cable machine.
“We’ve also got a sled run, which is an astro-turf track where you can push and pull a weighted sled.
“I think that is the only one in Crieff.
“Then we have a lower room, which has a free-standing rig for pull-ups and squats and some more cardio equipment down there.
“So far I have got three personal trainers who are keen to use the space to train their clients.
“Then we will be working on class timetables and schedules once we are up and running and have a feel for how many members we have got.”
Local coffee shop promotion
Local coffee shop Petit Yellow Velo is offering a 20% discount on takeaway beverages for anyone who visits the gym.
Simon is also running a limited number of discounted memberships – 10% off for the first three months, or extra deals if they pay for a year.
Anyone looking to join can register interest on the website or by emailing thecrieffgym@gmail.com.
