‘Total Fitness was our happy place’

A personal trainer who worked at Total Fitness Huddersfield for seven years hopes the building can become a gym again.

The premises on the Tandem Industrial Estate at Waterloo made the gym – which had a pool – one of the biggest in town.

Combined with the loss of the former DW Fitness gym at Moldgreen last October, it leaves that part of Huddersfield struggling for gym provision.

Total Fitness this week announced that its Huddersfield gym wouldn’t re-open after lockdown on April 12, leaving members and self-employed personal trainers shocked. Read our previous story here.

Shawnie Binns, 28, who runs Coached by SB, said Total Fitness had been a “place of sanctuary” for many people who found that exercise improved their physical and mental health.

“To find out it’s closing just two-and-a-half weeks before it was due to re-open is heart-breaking. I hope the landlord will allow it to remain as a gym because Huddersfield is crying out for a gym of this standard.”

Shawnie, of Newsome, said over the last 18 months in particular Total Fitness had provided a “fantastic environment, quality equipment and the best team I have worked with.”

Shawnie has been in the fitness industry since she was 16 and, as well as a base for her business, she had a personal reason to love Total Fitness Huddersfield.

She met partner Dwain Marten at the gym and Shawnie will give birth to their son in 11 weeks’ time.

“The gym is our happy place,” said Shawnie. “It’s a place to release stress, expel some energy and invest time back in yourself.”

A member called Bernadette messaged Huddersfield Hub to say she was “absolutely devastated” at the negative impact of the closure on the community.

She said: “I have worked front line all through the past year and couldn’t wait for the gym to re-open.”

This is how Huddersfield Hub broke the news of the closure.