Medway's newest gym opened yesterday in the grounds of a secondary school.

Pupils were given a sneak peep of the state-of-the art £3 million fitness centre at Rochester Grammar School - and literally jumped for joy when they saw the facilities.

And when they are not using it during the week days, many are already pledging to encourage their families to come along for a workout at weekends and evenings.

Thinking Fitness Rochester is being billed as "two for the price of one" with members also able to use its sister gym at Holcombe Grammar School in Chatham for just £20 a month.

As well as a gym offering a range of high-tech equipment, the new purpose-built building in Maidstone Road boasts a sports hall and dance studio.

Most of the project was funded by the Department for Education with the academy topping up the rest.

Thinking Fitness is a non-profit organisation, which sees all profits recycled back into its Thinking Schools Academy Trust's (TSAT) schools and its mission of "transforming life chances", and maintaining the facilities for students and members.

Nick Forward, the trust's business manager said the concept of opening the facility up to the public and ploughing money back into the school was launched by the TSAT several years ago.

He said: "Last year Holcombe made £50,000 profit.

"This is our third centre and it has been four years in the making with delays because of Covid.

"My boss came up with this idea. We saw then schools had to look at ways at drawing in additional revenue, especially in today's climate.

"And at the same tine it is benefiting the community who are getting a new fully-equipped gym on their doorstep.

"It is also helping to showcase the school."

The new-build is more than twice the size of their old gym and can be used for wider uses in the school curriculum as well as being hired out to the public.

Head teacher Clare Brinklow said it would provide extra space for drama productions and rehearsal.

Mrs Brinklow who has been at the helm for about six years and and has worked at the school for a total of 14 years, said: "You could tell what the girls thought of it when they did a back-flip as soon as they went into the dance hall.

"It's amazing. It's just what our sporting stars deserve and gives us a chance to build on the success of our PE department."

Seventeen classes a week, including yoga and zumba, will be held in the dance hall. Ball game sports ranging from netball, volley ball, basketball and table tennis will be held in the huge sports hall.

The first Thinking Fitness gym opened on site at Holcombe Grammar in Maidstone Road, Chatham, in 2019. Since then, the trust has opened another gym in Plympton, Devon, with Thinking Fitness Rochester as its third.

The Thinking Fitness group of sports centres is part of the Thinking Schools Academy Trust, which has eight schools across Medway including The Victory Academy in Chatham.

Meanwhile the Waterfront Leisure Centre, a popular health and fitness club which announced it was closing permanently due to the financial strains of the pandemic, is to reopen.

The sports complex has been taken over by new owners and will be welcoming new and old members back from Tuesday November 1.

The complex, which includes a pool, gym with views over the River Medway, squash and badminton courts, a spin and dance room, is currently undergoing a makeover.

As general manager Ashley Martin explained: "The centre is 20 years old and has been closed for some time. So a lot of the work is mechanical and electrical, general maintenance."

He said "a six figure sum plus" is being spent on refurbishment which started a month ago.