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Sunderland ladies-only gym relaunches with new ownership and investment

A Sunderland-based ladies-only gym is set to relaunch under new management, following £12,000 of investment.

Club Zest ladies Leisure in Fulwell is now under the ownership of Holly Donaldson and Jennie Moyse, who both previously worked at the club as instructors.

The pair took over the reins in December and closed for extensive refurbishment, including new studio facilities and state-of-the-art equipment.

Mum-of-two Holly, who lives in Fulwell, said: “I started working here 15 years ago as a Saturday girl, just for some extra pocket money whilst studying business at college.

“Never in a million years did I think I’d own the place! From my first day I decided I wanted to go into the health and fitness industry. I qualified as a fitness instructor two years later and have never looked back.”

Holly went on to gain more experience and qualifications, then worked her way through the ranks to the position of full-time manager, before going part time to look after her young family.

She continued: “I came back full-time when we took over in December. We’ve refurbished the gym pretty much ourselves.

“We worked round the clock to make sure it was ready in January and thankfully our work paid off. We’ve had some brilliant feedback and we’ve welcomed a record number of new members in the last month.

“I think what’s different about us is we’re really passionate just about making women feel good about themselves. Our goal is to help women smash theirs. Whether that is to get fit, lose weight, tone up – you name it, we can do it.

Jennie, from South Shields, is an experienced fitness instructor, personal trainer and sports massage therapist. She joined the team in 2014, when she was originally recruited by her now business partner, Holly.

She said: “It’s such an exciting time for Club Zest. We knew the gym was a little tired and needed a shake-up.

“We’ve fully refurbished it and invested in new studios and equipment, as well as putting together a brand new timetable of classes for our members. We can’t wait for everyone to come and see it.”

The official re-launch of the club, based on Sea Road, will be on Saturday, 28 January from 10.30am and will be hosted by local lass and fitness guru Katie Bulmer-Cooke.

Katie said: “Club Zest has undergone an amazing transformation since the girls took over. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone on the day - we’ll be giving tours of the new facilities, taster classes, exclusive offers and competitions so it’s definitely worth paying a visit!”

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