A former Energie site in Rotherham has been given a £1.2m refurbishment and become the first i-motion gym in the UK.

With its official opening weekend being the 23-24 November - an event which saw Olympic Gold Medallist and Matrix Fitness Ambassador, Dani King MBE, saddle up with riders from the Matrix Fitness Racing Academy - the i-motion concept has been created by former professional rugby player Gareth Evans.

Explaining the rationale behind the creation of the new brand, he said that following his retirement he felt there was a gap in the market for a premium, low-cost gym operator which matched the quality of the more upmarket brands.

The 15,000sq ft facility provides four workout zones - functional, freeweights, cardio and indoor cycling - and is equipped with 160 pieces of Matrix Fitness kit including Matrix S-Series Indoor Cycles.

It also features a Kaleido Vision music video jukebox which will give members access to 2,000 music DVDs from a range of genres, projected onto screens around the gym.

80 timetabled classes a week are offered.

Evans plans on extending the brand and is currently looking to secure further sites across the north of England.