A NEW gym is up and running after the first stage of a £1.5m overhaul of a Greenock sports facility was completed.

The gleaming fitness suite at Ravenscraig Sports Centre opened on Monday and is already pulling in plenty of first-time users.

Operators Inverclyde Leisure (IL) had over 330 new members signed up for the gym before it even opened and they are expecting to break the 400 mark now that it is up and running.

That compares with just 58 people who were registered at the Larkfield facility before it closed last November to allow for a major transformation that will also see the addition of a new children’s soft play area, climbing walls, party rooms and a Costa Coffee cafe in the coming weeks.

The fitness suite has been extended, with a mezzanine floor built over the main downstairs hall, and it now boasts over 100 stations featuring equipment from market-leading manufacturer Technogym.

The development has also created around 30 new jobs.

Leisure bosses say the investment is already starting to pay off.

Andrew Hetherington, IL operations manager, said: “It has exceeded expectations. There’s so much space and such a wide range of equipment.

“Ravenscraig is starting to come to fruition and I’m sure the people of Inverclyde and local residents will have a lot of fun here. The rest of it will start opening later this month.”

The Ravenscraig gym is now IL’s second-largest, beaten only by the Waterfront.

It is the second ‘Fitness for Less’ budget facility, following the opening of the first one at Boglestone Community Centre in Port Glasgow last year after a £100,000 upgrade.

The idea is to make exercising more affordable for people across Inverclyde and to give members more choice.

Mr Hetherington said: “We have diversified our membership offering by introducing budget gyms to allow us to make fitness and exercising accessible and inclusive.

“A lot of people who have joined Ravenscraig are new to fitness.”

David McCorkindale, IL’s head of leisure and community facilities, added: “It’s all about putting health first and giving people an affordable model to get active and combat any health battles they have.

“Exercising does make you feel better.”