WATCH: Inverness Everlast gym members 'not ready' to see lifeline service go as multimillion-pound plan for new bowling alley emerges
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Members and staff of an Inverness gym which could be replaced by a new bowling alley and entertainment facilities said they would lose a lifeline service should the plans go ahead.
Meeting in the lounge of the Inverness Shopping Park branch of Everlast gym, long-time members gathered to voice their worries, saying they felt devastated by the news that the gym might be shut for good.
Last month, The Inverness Courier revealed Hercules Unit Trust, which owns Inverness Shopping Park, is seeking to create the major new facility inside the building that currently houses Sports Direct and the Everlast gym.
However, members of the gym and staff members – who were made aware of the plans via news sources – said they were shocked and saddened as the facility provides an accessible swimming pool which can be more easily used by people with various disabilities and reduced mobility, something which many members said was not available in other facilities in the area.
General manager at Everlast gym Nagina Ishaq said they are not 'ready to close' yet.
"This acts as a community centre for many of our members," she said.
"It is a space to socialise and a lifeline to many of them – they don’t just come here for the gym, it’s a way of living for them.
"About 28 per cent of our members are above 50 and up to the age of 90. Many of them live alone and come here to socialise and improve their mental health as well as their fitness.
"If Highland Council decides to take this facility away from our members, what will they offer as an alternative? What kind of value for money will they provide for members, what other amenities will they make available to them? And ease of access for them?"
She added that, although plans for the new facility aim to create around 60 new jobs, around 40 will be lost for staff from Everlast and Sports Direct.
At present, Everlast counts approximately 2300 members, and around 300 children take swimming lessons in its pool.
Ms Ishaq said: "There are many young kids who come to our gym after school, and I take pride that they start their journey here with us as opposed to being on the street and losing track of their health."
Staff members called for help from their community by placing instructions on how to submit an objection to the plans in the reception area.
In just a week, around 60 objections were lodged on the council's website.
Talking about the response from the community, Ms Ishaq added: "This is quite overwhelming, it shows how much people love this place.
"When the news came out it was very devastating for them. Some members have been here for 15-17 years, ever since this project opened as a gym facility.
"You can see all these objections coming in and there is a very valid point and logical ground that they are not ready to see this gym go yet.
RELATED:
- Multi-million pound plan for new bowling alley and inflatable course at Inverness Shopping Park 'will create 60 jobs'
- More than 50 objections to new Inverness 10-pin bowling alley plan – lodged in less than a week
- REACTION: Wide mix of views over plans for new Inverness bowling alley
"We will continue to raise awareness with our members and to object as the public consultation is open until August 11 and after that we are hoping that we will have a positive outcome out of that."
The former DW Sports Fitness gym closed after the company went into administration in 2020, after which Fraser Group took over the building with their brands Sports Direct and Everlast gym.
Gym member Karen Birchley said: "There are lots of chances for rehabilitation – I had 17 operations over two years and I went from being on a mobility scooter to now most of the time hardly using my crutches.
"Lots of ladies here had hip replacements and you get very little physiotherapy after operations on the NHS these days.
"Members with arthritis can use the aided steps to use the pool – unlike other pools which only offer steep ladders to get in the water."
Gym member Maureen Pringle is in her 80s and has been a member of the gym for more than 15 years. She said: "I'd be absolutely lost without this place, there is nowhere else I can go."
Another of the long-time members of the gym, Katie Watson said it was also the friendships made at the gym that were a lifeline for her.
She said: "My husband died very suddenly years ago and if it wasn't for the girls, I wouldn't be here. It's a way of life, not just coming to the gym."
Another member, Ann Irvine, said that she suffered from very poor mental health in the past, as well as back pain among other conditions – and that being able to access the swimming pool and gym facilities helped her immensely to the point she was able to go off her medications.
The proposals would not result in any external alterations to the existing building according to the planning application.
It was lodged two months after the Black Isle Brewery lodged plans for a new brewery and bar site directly across from the gym on scrubland on the opposite side of the Eastfield Way road.
