A Lincolnshire dad who dreamt of owning a gym is launching the business today. The X gym in Wainfleet All Saints is set to open at 10am on Saturday, January 11, after weeks of hard work to get it ready.
Carl Smith, of Wainfleet, explained: “I have wanted to open a gym for the last 15 to 20 years. We moved to Wainfleet about 10 years ago and my boys go to the school here and the amount of times I hear people saying I want to go to the gym but I have to go to Skegness, and we have to get the train or the bus.
“It got in my head and I thought would this work in Wainfleet, so I put a Facebook status up on the Wainfleet Facebook group about eight or nine weeks ago, just saying would anyone find it beneficial.” The 41-year-old said the response was “incredible” and there were lots of positive comments.
The gym will open at 10am on Saturday, January 11
(Image: Carl Smith)
The dad of four says this “really opened my eyes” and he decided to create a gym in the area. Carl shared: “That morning I started looking for commercial properties and found one that I could turn into a gym.”
He describes the last few weeks as being “hectic” and that he has done all he can to “get it just right.” The gym, which is based at Batemans Court, will have an initial cap of 100 members and will be staffed from Mondays to Saturdays.
Members under 18 can access the gym during manned hours, whereas those who are 18 and older can access it 24-hours a day. Carl says membership prices will be £30 a month for adults and £18 a month for under 18s.
Carl has worked hard over the last six weeks to transform the site and has done all the decorating himself. The business has commercial grade machines installed ready for use, with Carl saying the response from the community has been “phenomenal.”
There is a range of equipment at the gym for members to use
(Image: Carl Smith)
Ahead of the opening he told Lincolnshire Live: “I’m sitting here and looking around and I am extremely proud of what I have achieved in six weeks.”
Karl, formerly of Skegness, explained he has always wanted to have his own gym. He said: “I was a doorman years ago and I have always liked the gym life. I haven’t competed at anything but I have always body built and I have always like lifting weights. I’ve seen friends open gyms and I’ve always been thinking that this could have been me. “
However, he wanted to wait until he was in a good position financially and now hopes the gym can become something set up for his kids as well.