Final countdown under way as David Lloyd Bury St Edmunds, at Marham Park, set to welcome members from next week

The final countdown to the opening of a new £20 million health and fitness club is under way as some of its first members enjoyed an exclusive preview this morning.

SuffolkNews was given a tour of the David Lloyd Bury St Edmunds facilities, off Sandlands Drive, on Marham Park, before the club officially opens to all its members on Tuesday, December 3.

Among the 200 members who were the first to secure their membership was the town mayor, Cllr Diane Hind, who officiated the club’s launch by cutting the ribbon.

At the event was Kristen Westwood, the site’s general manager, who was appointed to his new role in August, having previously held the same position at David Lloyd Fulham.

He said: “We’re all just very excited to get into the community.

“Bury is such a lovely town. We haven’t got a club in this area so this was a great location.

“The support has been fantastic and it’s great to see so many members of the local community embrace the new club and join us here today.

“It’s an honour to be general manager and I can’t wait to see our community grow when we officially open our doors on Tuesday.”

The new venue features state-of-the-art facilities, including three padel courts, tennis courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, spas and a fully-equipped gym among others.

The Bury club is the only site in Suffolk to include a spa, and the town is the club’s second location in the county with the other in Ipswich.

The first floor features the gym with more than 100 pieces of equipment as well a yoga, circuit and group exercise studios, while the ground floor includes a lounge area, serving food and drink.

Members can enjoy a range of exercise classes, including one where parents and children aged eight and over can exercise together.

On top of the health and fitness facilities, the club has an outdoor terrace, an indoor soft play area for the little ones and an adult-only business lounge.

The site spans across five acres and has an internal floor space of more than 64,000sqm.

As of August, the David Lloyd group had more than 773,000 members, with an annual revenue of £756 million.

The group operates across the UK and Europe, with the Bury site becoming the firm’s 134th club.

Martin Leach, managing director at Vistry Major Projects, said: “We are very pleased to be welcoming David Lloyd to the heart of our Marham Park community.

“It’s a fantastic health and wellness facility for all the family, offering impressive facilities, as well as swimming and tennis lessons and after-school and holiday clubs.

“It’s a great addition to our development providing more opportunities for our residents and the wider community to stay active and healthy.”

Planning permission for the leisure centre was approved in July 2023, with construction starting at the end of the same year.

The new facility has created 75 jobs.