A brand new gym has had a successful launch with hundreds of members signing up in the first two weeks of trading.

The Unit held a celebrity-attended launch party a month later than originally planned – due to a devastating arson attack – and already has 450 members.

Owned by businessman Ben Bamforth, the gym opened at Gatehead Mill in Delph, following a £500,000 investment and a further £350,000 injection of cash following the blaze, which ripped through the 7,000 sq ft space.

It is the second gym in The Unit chain, following the success of the first site in Honley, which opened in 2016. Ben has his sights on three more gym launches over the next few years.

With seven personal trainers – who have 20 years’ experience between them; two storeys of specialist cardio equipment from Assault Fitness, Concept 2, Matrix and Primal Strength and 2,000 sq ft of space for fitness classes, the gym has already proven a huge success.

Membership is priced at £35 per month, which includes admission to regular fitness classes and 24-hour gym access.

More than 500 people attended the launch of the business, including Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher and Instagram-famous body coaches including Liam McAleese and Taylor Binney.

Ben chose Saddleworth as the location as it’s where he began his own personal training journey at the age of 18.

Members of The Unit in Honley will be able to access the Saddleworth gym for an extra £10 a month.

Commenting on the launch, Ben said: “It’s been my dream to open a gym in Saddleworth and give everybody a fantastic facility to train at as well as teach new personal trainers.

“After years of saving, I took the plunge in August last year and decided to open my second gym. The blaze was devastating but, if anything, it has given us even stronger ties with the local community, and we couldn’t be more thankful to everyone who has welcomed us.

“Between our seven trainers, we have thousands of transformations for our clients. We are not only dedicated to achieving results for our customers, but our personal trainers too – we teach them how to add more value into their sessions and to grow their businesses.”