RUN down, dilapidated, out of shape, with cracks starting to show.

Aparticularly mean description of someone who needs to get active and go to the gym a bit more? Maybe.

But more accurately it was the state of the pavilion in Fairview Park, Rayleigh, before TruEdge Fitness got their hands on it and turned into a gym.

The old cricket pavilion was not in a good way, vacant and a magnet for anti-social behaviour, but eight months after TruEdge Fitness first approached the council, the building has seen a complete turnaround in fortunes.

Roger Green, a partner in the business, was one of the founders of a similar facility in Poplar, east London, and hopes the new gym will have a positive impact on the community.

He said: “We used to take disenfranchised kids from gangs, who were fighting and getting in trouble with the police, and taught them boxing, wrestling and gymnastics.

“Within six weeks the boys had turned into great kids.

“It is easy to do but you have to talk to them on a level and respect them a little. You can’t just hand out leaflets.

“Kids like that aren’t really bad people but they do cause a lot of problems.

“We have been talking to the behavioural people at Rochford District Council and they are brilliant.

“We are going to engage people, talk to them, bring them into the gymand showthemwhat theycan do.

“We are a business and of course we need to make money, but this will be done for free to help out the community.”

Rochford District Councillor for the community Jo McPherson leads the authority’s Community Safety Partnership and hopes to work with Mr Green, his business partner James Fugl and gymmanager James Harvey, in the future.

Mrs McPherson said: “What they are doing, and will be doing, is an absolutelybrilliant diversionary activity for young people.

“They teach young people to control themselves and I’m really supportive of it.

“I’ll be contacting them to get involved with our Youth Strategy Group as we look to projects that raise young people’s aspirations for life.”

Mr Green and his associates have worked with the local authority to renovate the pavilion, making a weights room and studio to hold classes in.

The gym is set in Rayleigh’s Fairview Park, so he also plans to hold outdoor Boot Camp style fitness sessions in the spring and summer, and already has an event planned for March to show off what they do.

Mike Steptoe, Rochford District Councillor for enterprise, welcomed the company’s interest in Rayleigh, and the park’s disused pavilion.

Mr Steptoe said: “It was an under-used council asset that was going to rack and ruin.

“It was so run down, there was vandalism, graffiti, all sorts of things going on there and because it was sounkempt it wasbecoming a magnet for that sort of behaviour.

“Fortunately this companyhave come along and spent quite a bit of money, with a bit from us, and they have set up a beautiful facility in a wonderful park.

“They also seem very keen to work with the disaffected youth from the area and have my full support with that.”

Many gyms and personal trainers offer boot camp classes with a military feel, but at this gym you get the real thing.

Mr Harvey has enlisted the help of serving physical training instructors from the armed forces to give their business an extra edge.

He said: “We have a close friend who is a commando and he wants to come on board so he will be our main trainer, which we’re really looking forward to.”