A NEW gym will replace The Fitness Studio in Loudwater, which closed down last month.

The Oaks Health and Fitness Club will be a completely new business so memberships from The Fitness Studio, on Treadaway Hill, will not be transferred.

Regulars at the old gym said hundreds of people had lost money after paying for memberships in advance (see links below).

Chris Summers, 47, who lives in Loudwater, will open The Oaks Health and Fitness Club at the same location on March 1.

There will be an opening weekend for viewing only on February 27 and 28 between 9am and 1pm.

He bought the contents of the old gym just minutes before it was due to be auctioned.

He said last week: “Members will be very much welcomed back and every effort will be made to accommodate people that had paid up front [for memberships at the old gym].

“I want to try and offer some sort of incentive to those people and they will be welcomed back by familiar faces.”

“I've been a member there for a couple of years and it was a crying shame that it was going under.”

“I want to see if I can improve the facilities and make it a place people want to come back to.”

He said the upper floor will have a dedicated strength and conditioning room with a good range of free weights. There will also be a range of classes in the studio.