GYM fixed it for York's Lord Mayor, Coun Shan Braund, when she checked out exercise equipment at the city's Barbican Centre.

A huge increase in demand for workout facilities is behind the launch of a new gym at the centre.

The gym complements the existing Total Leisure Fitness facilities, and provides extra capacity.

It is estimated that nearly 2.5 million people in the UK belong to a gym, which represents an increase of 26 per cent on last year.

On completion, Total Leisure Fitness, where Coun Braund is a member, will have two workout areas and a total of 65 fitness machines to help improve health, fitness and muscle strength for customers.

Twenty-three new pieces of fitness equipment are being installed, together with a combination of sound, vision and lighting which is designed to create a lively environment in which to work out.

Helen Broadbent, site manager, said: "This will be a fantastic alternative way to exercise which will seem more like entertainment than hard work. It will help you to forget the outside world and just concentrate on your time in the gym."

As part of this redevelopment the Total Leisure management team have also drawn plans to refurbish the existing gym facilities at the Barbican Centre and Edmund Wilson Swimming Pool.

In addition, the soft play area at the Barbican has been redesigned and called Ocean Explorers. It will be full of colour, sounds and shapes and will be suitable for children under eight years old.

Updated: 12:18 Friday, March 02, 2001