Pool or pulpit...that is the question!…read more Here at the Virgin Active in Repton Park, they placed a swimming pool right inside a church...how cool is that? When I first entered the pool I was really taken aback and quite mesmerized - it felt a little sacrilegious, but at the same time I very much enjoyed swimming in this beautiful environment. The gym area itself is also quite neat, as you sweat underneath a prettily-decorated vaulted ceiling. There's plenty of exercise equipment, although the weight-lifting area is a little small. This Virgin Active gym is in Repton Park, which was the site of the fomrer Claybury Hospital - a psychiatric hospital. Apparently there's still the ghosts of the past haunting these premises....

I joined this Virgin as it is my local club about a month ago. This Virgin club is nestled within…read morethe closed community (Repton Park), the best way to get here would be by car, although there is a bus stop just outside Repton Park it is still quite a walk when you are inside. This gym has a Costa Coffee inside next to the reception that also includes food (this can get slightly irritating when working out and smelling food) o_O The gym has quite a few treadmills, bikes, rowing machines, free weights, TRX etc, each machine has a tv screen with the ability to plug in your IPhone/IPod which allows you to listen to your music but also you can store your workout data to your phone too. The most amazing area in this gym is the swimming pool, it is absolutely stunning, the whole gym used to be a chapel for the mental institution, so the decor inside is beautiful. Within the pool area, you also have the sauna and steam room, along with some sun loungers and some juice to drink. The only gripe I have is that there is no air-conditioning (but I don't think there is anything they can do about that due to the building structure).

Trying to cancel a membership with this awful place is literally like trying to get blood out of a…read morestone. Once you do manage to cancel your membership, and follow it up by cancelling your direct debit, they behave as if the cancellation never happened. Eventually they will send a debt collection agency after you to recover the money that was never owed to them in the first place! Save yourself the trouble. Lift furniture at home or go for a jog. You might have a stroke after having to deal with this shady business.

So, I've been off the wagon for a year and decide to get back in shape. I rock up to my local…read moreFitness First and have a chat with Danny. Danny's got a lot of banter, charming and jokey. He put a lot of disconcerting emphasis on weight loss. Now, I don't know about you but going to the gym is not about weight loss for me, it's about keeping fit and staying in shape - maintenance, people, maintenance. Still, that didn't put me off. So, I signed up. But was disappointed to see the limited range of classes on offer. I like a good range of yoga and pilates classes. I was told about a start up pack which I was told included a free personal training session and something to do with aromatherapy??? Anyway, I booked the personal training session right away with a view to getting a work out routine. So, I had a session with Luke who showed me how to use the cross-tainer - I've been going to the gym for over 15 years!!! I think I know how to use a cross-trainer! Then got me to do 3 exercises (Lunges and 2 resistance exercises for my shoulder). Then walked me over to a table and discussed signing up for a personal training programme. I declined. 3 exercises is NOT a work out. It's a decent sized gym with a fair amount of cardio and weight machines. But given the limited range of classes and the laughable work out guidance my money would be wasted here. I wouldn't use the place often enough. So, guess who cancelled their membership and took their business elsewhere? Moi!

This centre has received a 2 star rating from me, this is not down to the facilities, this is due…read moreto the staff and the way the centre is run. The facilities are excellent and are always clean and in working order. The problem with the staff is usually at the front desk, you would think the receptionists have had the most stressful day of their lives by the way they speak and the way they use their body language. Very rude and it seems like they could all do with some training in customer care and customer service, does it hurt to say thank you or smile every now and again. Anyway if you can see past the problems with the reception it's an excellent centre with lots of classes and machines in the gym.

Very disappointed with the facilities and services provided. Spa is beyond any hygiene standards,…read morevery dirty, molds everywhere, and the place is extremely loud. If you think of going there to relax and gain a pleasant experience, I will suggest to reconsider this option. Gym is ok, just avoid busy time. Swimming pool... no difference between stepping into icy water or this pool, Staff members are unprofessional, always tired of life, not bothered and angry if you have any questions.

A small 'spit and sawdust' weight lifting gym in Walthamstow. No bikes or cardio equipment, just…read morefree weights and weight machines. Friendly staff and usually pretty busy. Quieter on weekends.

I am so fed up with this gym and would happily fill this up with expletives, the list is quite…read moreextensive with what is wrong with place its ok for them to cancel classes give you hardly any notice but if you do the same they'll happily add debts to your membership and get told nonsense about making it fair for everyone who attends classes I'd understand fines for serial offenders but how about not fining these who show up on time might i add and the centre is closed and then go on to add charges to my account they don't answer their phones either or their emails. Many instructors for the classes don't even arrive on time especially step and zumba.

I am very disappointed because of swimming pool staff especially the manager lady today as she was…read morerude and unprofessional towards special need children, when my 6 years old DS child was not coming out of paddling pool.

This place is awesome if you're looking for a second family. None of the "big gym" crowding. This…read moreplace is for people who want to train.

As an aspiring lightweight boxer from England, I had been training in Mendez Boxing Gym in New York…read more(moved there last year) for the last 10 months or so. My fitness has vastly improved and I have been better off because of it, however, in terms of learning the boxing fundamentals and actual technique, none of the trainers so much as gave me the time of day beyond the generic "hit the bag for 3 rounds, do padwork with x for a half an hour, now shadow box for 3 rounds" stuff you'd find in your run-of-the-mill fitness gym that facades itself as a boxing facility. Nonetheless, despite all the time and dedication I had spent in this gym, I never felt at home, and felt that my efforts and aspirations to AT THE VERY LEAST fight in an amateur setting were neglected, and it felt as if all my efforts and sacrifices were in vain no matter how hard I tried. I train 6-7 days a week and throughout the majority of those days I try and train twice (once in the morning and a second time at night) I had recently returned to England for a 2 week holiday and I had spent time with one of the trainers named Tony, who happened to be a friend of another family friend named Harry Cowap, who had a history of professional boxing in Ireland. Within a matter of a few hours I felt more at home and covered more of the rudimental boxing mechanics at Peacock than I ever did for the last 10 months at the place I was "training" at back over in New York. Nonetheless, even my family who was there to watch me train noticed that everything from my form and performance had greatly improved while training with Tony. I am currently back in New York, I'm not sure when my next trip back home to England will be, and I am currently holed up in New York finishing off uni and training at my old gym (Mendez) for the sake of keeping my fitness, however I will not forget the workout, tutoring and overall kindness that Tony and the gym provided me that day. Since then, my view on Boxing has fundamentally changed for the better and I have a new sense of instilled self-confidence in the sport! Until I return, I say Peacock keep up the damn good work and keep aiming to push and train the next generation of boxers England (or anywhere else) has to offer! Would definitely recommend Tony and Peacock Gym to any and everyone in the London area with a die-hard dream to fight professionally! Proud As A Peacock!