PRESTON'S modern day sporting greats are backing a scheme designed to get locals thinking about their own bodies rather than a pint of Boddies!

Home grown sports stars are teaming up with Preston Borough Council to launch a new LifeStyle Fitness Studio at West View Leisure Centre tomorrow (Friday, October 15).

The leisure centre, based in Ribbleton, already boasted a gym, but was proving to be so popular that leisure chiefs decided to close the adjoining bar, and spend a National Lottery Sports Fund grant of £250,000 to create the new facility.

Among the first people to use the new centre will be several of Preston's sporting success stories, including England soccer coach Derek Fazackerley, athletics star Helen Pattison, boxer Paul Burke and table-tennis player Katy Parker. A spokesman for Preston Borough Council, which runs the centre, said: "We hope that by converting the the bar in to part of the gym, people will think more of working on their bodies for an hour than sitting with a pint of the bitter by the same name!"

The refurbishment follows the sudden growth in the fitness business. In the past few months, several large gyms have appeared, the most lavish of which is the Virgin Active, which opened in August.

The spokesman added: "It will also be used for the GP Referral for Exercise scheme, which has helped more than 2,000 people and for the community and health fitness classes, which has attracted a lot more Asian ladies to the gym."

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