THREE Wirral gyms are to be upgraded as part of a £340,000 council investment.

The work, planned for Leasowe, Guinea Gap and West Kirby leisure centres, will see the following improvements made to the fitness facilities.

  • Complete replacement of all of the gym equipment at Leasowe
  • Replacement of equipment and console upgrades at Guinea Gap
  • Replacement of consoles at West Kirby Concourse

Along with the complete refurbishment at Leasowe, there will be a range of improvements, including touch screens and Wi-Fi enabled consoles at the three facilities.

The consoles also include new software that acts as an exercise tracker to monitor your cardio vascular exercise on the treadmills, bikes, cross and lateral trainers.

This can also be linked to the Exorlive app available through Invigor8, providing the ability for members to pre-programme exercise sessions, receive via e-mail or direct onto a mobile device ‘live’ monitoring of their progress on every visit.

This information can be shared with instructors who can keep track of their progress and adapt personal plans.

Cabinet member for leisure and recreation, Cllr Phill Brightmore, said: "The overall aim is to ensure that Wirral Council gives all residents access to affordable yet first class fitness facilities.

"We are working hard to ensure, despite years of austerity and cuts to the Council’s budget, that thanks to careful financial management of Council resources, we are able to continue to invest in those facilities which residents want and care about."

The improvements follow hard on the heels of major work at the Oval in Bebington which, over the last 18 months, has received significant funding to double the size of its fitness facility, create studio space and restore parts of the iconic grandstand and will now see investment totalling £775,000 to enhance customer access, upgrades in the sports hall and the pool changing facilities.

Cllr Brightmore added: “We continue to invest in Wirral’s leisure services, ensuring that they remain accessible and affordable for all residents, spending more than £5 million a year on making sure our services are of the best possible quality for residents across the borough.”