SARAH Yorke is adamant that her new fitness club isn't just for the "Lycra and leotard" brigade. "We want everyone to feel welcome, whether they exercise regularly or not. We've tried to make it as friendly as possible and there are always staff on hand to help you out," she says.

The huge complex stands on Middlesbrough's busy Linthorpe Road and boasts two gyms, one of which is for women only, an exercise studio and a bar where members can relax after a hard workout. On the ground floor, there's a hairdressing salon, which first attracted Sarah to the centre.

The 26-year-old had worked as a hairdresser at the Saks and Elite salons in Bishop Auckland but wanted a new challenge. When she heard about the salon and gym, she knew it was what she was looking for.

Sarah took over the from the previous owners in November last year and has spent more than £200,000 giving it a complete re-fit, including new decor and cardiovascular equipment and weights.

"Obviously, I didn't have any experience in the fitness industry so I've got a manager running the gym and I manage the salon myself. It's hard work but I'm really enjoying it."

It's an enormous space. The main gym is full of rows of exercise bike and step machines and there's a separate section for weight training. The ladies only gym next door is almost as big and in addition to the standard equipment, there's a range of toning tables.

"A lot of women don't want to work out with men so this is somewhere they can come and not feel threatened. A lot of Asian ladies use it," explains Sarah.

The exercise studio, which is fitted out with huge mirrors, is the venue for a number of fitness classes, including aerobics, yoga and tae circuits (martial arts combined with more ordinary exercises).

Membership currently stands at around 400 but the gym can take more than 1,000.

"The gym never actually closed down but a lot of people didn't know what was going to happen when it changed hands so they started going somewhere else. At the moment we're trying to attract those members back and new ones as well."

One innovation is a special weekly session for teenagers. "At first we didn't know how popular they were going to be but we've only been going for three weeks and we've got around 30 people. People say that children don't do enough exercise but this is one way of making it fun for them. It's not like games lessons at school, it's something they can enjoy," says Sarah.

There's also a creche so busy parents can drop their children off while they exercise, but so far, Sarah's been far too busy to enjoy the facilities herself. "I still live in Bishop Auckland and I have a little girl so I don't get a lot of time to myself. Once things get sorted out, I'm sure I'll be spending a lot more time in here."

Sarah is currently busy developing the salon which, like the fitness centre, has been completely redecorated and fitted out with new equipment. The next phase is to open a nail bar and she's also hoping to be able to offer customers henna tattoos.

There are still two floors of the building that are unused and Sarah is hoping to turn one into an indoor running track and convert the top floor into student flats.

"It's a long term project, a bit like climbing Everest. We're still at the bottom and we've got a long way to go but at least we've made a start."

* Yorke Fitness is at 251 Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough. For more information telephone (01642) 232425