A NEW gym is to open in Colchester in the new year as the owners look to complete their final preparations ahead of a trial weekend.

Thrive Gym, which will run a trial weekend on Saturday, January 7 and Sunday, January 8, will be based in The Crescent, Highwoods, with a focus on group sessions which take the fear factor out of going to the gym.

The trial days will run from 9am until 2pm, with the gym opening officially on Monday, January 9 at 6am.

The gym will be run by two business partners, Vicky Braddon and Jon Kohn, who both formerly worked together at David Lloyd Leisure.

As the Covid pandemic started to subside, the two decided to pursue running their own gym given the experience they have acquired over the years in the sport and leisure sector.

Mrs Braddon, 38, said: “Covid made you think about life and what you were doing, and we wanted to do something with our own vision and values – that’s how it came about.

“He went travelling, I had a baby, and we linked back together and started looking for a property.”

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Mr Kohn had previously worked as the head of commercial for David Lloyd, whilst Mrs Braddon worked as the general commercial manager.

Their vision for Thrive Gym has been brought into focus by a desire to bring a team and community feel to a gym, and to eradicate the sense of intimidation newcomers often feel when they join a gym for the first time.

Mrs Braddon said: “The most important thing is creating an environment – we understand how scary a gym environment can be, but every session for us is coached in an environment where people feel part of a community.

“Creating a community environment – that’s the big thing, showing that we care about our members, our staff, and our team.”

With work on the first floor almost complete, both Mrs Braddon and Mr Kohn are now finishing the ground floor as they look to welcome clients to the trial weekend in the new year.

January is often a time when people opt for a fresh start by joining a gym, but for these two business partners, it will be their task to open one.