Staines: New owner for health club

The Thames Club, Staines’ leading health and fitness club is under new ownership with ambitious plans to invest £1.5 million into major improvements in the next year.

The new owners are The Thames Club Limited, a company specially formed to buy, manage and develop the club with funding from the Downing Protected Venture Capital Trusts.

The company acquired the club, including Staines Town’s Football Club’s ground, for an undisclosed sum from former owners Sheffield United, who had owned it since March 2006.

Steve Lewis, Managing Director of The Thames Club, said: “We plan to carry out major improvements that will move the club to a higher level in both the facilities and the services we currently offer.

“We will be consulting club members over the next few months to get their views before finalising the plans. We intend to improve all aspects of the Club including the extension of exercise options, new yoga and pilates studios, a unique theatre style group cycling studio featuring the legendary Star Trac spinning bikes, and improvements to the restaurant facilities.”

The company includes non-executive director Nick Taplin, who has recently created a state-of-the-art club at Cadbury House, near Bristol and he will act as an adviser on the changes.

Day-to-day management of the club remains unchanged under general manager Kate Whitling.

She said: “It is a truly exciting time and we are all focused on making this the best health and fitness club around. It will be a complete transformation during 2009 and be a huge benefit to all our members and people of Staines.”