THE under-fire Rivermead Leisure Centre has been nominated in the hunt to find the best gym in the UK.
The Richfield Avenue centre’s gym has been chosen alongside Esprit Fitness & Spa and LivingWell Reading to compete for gym market place PayasUgym.com’s inaugural UK’s #BestGym competition.
Gym users can vote for their favourite gym online and Reading’s three nominees will be competing for the prestigious prize alongside 123 other gyms in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Jamie Ward, co-founder of PayasUgym.com, said being shortlisted put Rivermead in the top five per cent of gyms listed on the website, which allows members to buy gym passes and rate their gyms using a one-to-five star rating.
He added: “Our aim is to help members of the public find the right gym for them by enabling them to take advantage of discounted gym and class passes in their area.
“As the competition is entirely based on real onsite member reviews to create the shortlist and real member votes as opposed to a judging panel, the nominees and soon-to-be-announced winners can be sure they really are the cream of the crop.”
The centre came under fire in September after campaigners claimed it was an “embarrassment to the town” because its changing rooms and swimming pool had been left to fall into disrepair.
But according to the votes collected by PayasUgym.com the centre’s gym is now one of the top one per cent in the country.
Founded in 2009 PayasUgym.com works with more than 2,200 gyms in the UK and the best-rated Reading gyms have been shortlisted into five regions - Northern England and Scotland, the Midlands and South West, Central London, Greater London and the South East - according to this member feedback.
Members can vote by visiting www.payasugym.com/best-gym or on Twitter using the hashtag #BestGym and be entered into a prize draw to win three-months free gym membership. Voting closes on Friday, December 5, while the winner will be announced the following Tuesday.
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