This story is sponsored by Surge Padel.

The UK’s largest premium indoor padel tennis centre has ‘surged’ in popularity, with players travelling from across the country for games.

Based at Harrogate’s Hornbeam Park, Surge Padel has grown to 1,400 members, with its six courts often fully booked.

Owner and CEO Stuart Perrin said members often play up to four times a week and he puts the sport’s popularity down to its simplicity.

He said:

“You serve underhand and the ball stays in play a lot longer than tennis. It’s a lot less technical, so people of all ages and abilities can play. It’s also super social as you play in pairs. Once you’ve played a few times you just keep coming back.”

A mashup of tennis and squash that originated in Mexico, padel has been described as one of the world’s fastest growing sports.

It is played between four players on reduced-size tennis courts. Competitors use paddle racquets and can bounce the ball off walls.

Since November 2020, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has been the national governing body for the sport when it was officially recognised as a discipline of tennis. This has opened the door for greater recognition, support and funding.

Mr Perrin said:

“Because it is so fresh in the UK, we get people travelling to play. We get people from Middlesbrough and the far side of Leeds regularly.

“There aren’t facilities like this anywhere else, especially fully indoors.

“We have people coming from far and wide. I would say around 900 of our members are from the Harrogate district and the rest are from further afield.”

Surge Padel, which is located above Coach gym, is now a centre of excellence for the UK is fully affiliated with the LTA. It has hosted European Championships and events are held at the club most weekends.

Mr Perrin said:

“We are the largest padel tennis club in the UK and are member based. We’ve only been open since January 2022 and it is now getting really difficult to book a court on an evening, as it’s so popular. If we could have built a bigger site, we would have done!

“We have got a further four centres opening in 2023. One of those will hopefully be in Leeds.

“We offer state-of-the-art facilities at an affordable price.”

Book your court space or join as a member for the best benefits. Find out more and join the fastest growing sport in the UK.

This story is sponsored by Coach.

Harrogate’s £1.5m Coach gym is continuing to go from strength-to-strength following its launch in the town a year ago.

The affordable boutique gym boasts more than 200 pieces of state-of-the art equipment, as well as over 200 instructor-led fitness classes across four studios.

Surge Padel, where members can play one of the world’s fastest growing sports, can also be found on the first floor of the building at Hornbeam Park.

Stuart Perrin, owner and CEO of Coach, which opened in January 2022, said:

“Coach is a boutique health and fitness concept, which in a nutshell means everything is very high end. From the fixtures and fittings, to the experience.

“It’s something very different and is the biggest gym in Harrogate by a long way.”

Coach boasts a bar area, which serves bespoke shakes and smoothies. There are also luxury changing rooms, including GHD straighteners and solid oak benches.

The gym itself features a range of equipment – from cardio and resistance machines to free weights, squat racks, battle ropes, tyre flips and a sled.

Mr Perrin said:

“If you’re a real gym-goer, the equipment we have is really quite special. We have the best the brands have to offer, including Nautilus, Schwinn, StairMaster and Concept, all under one roof. We make sure we have the best possible pieces of kit.”

Boutique fitness studios

Coach’s four boutique fitness studios offer something for everyone. They include:

Coach Spin: A spinning studio that can take up to 30 people in a session.

Coach Class: A group exercise studio, which hosts everything from Body Pump to yoga and Pilates. Classes are delivered and programmed by highly-qualified, passionate and respected instructors.

Coach Box: A boxing studio, which can take up to 20 people in a full cardio and bodyweight resistance class, where you learn the fundamentals of boxing in the process.

Coach Evolution: A High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) studio which has 10 treadmills, 10 airbikes and 10 HIIT benches. Coach Evolution is designed using HIIT to give you a full cardiovascular exercise and full-body resistance workout.

Mr Perrin said:

“Within Coach itself we have four studios and we offer a timetable of more than 250 classes a month, which are included in membership if you are on our top tier.”

Coach is offering Stray Ferret readers a free day pass to come and try the facilities, which can be accessed here.

Mr Perrin added:

“Members love the feel, the experience, the quality. Come and try it for yourself with a free day pass.”

Coach Gyms is redefining affordable luxury. Join now from only £18.99 a month. Find out more and join the fitness revolution today!

During the week, Lauren Kenworthy works as a chef at Bettys in Harrogate.

At the weekend she glams up in high heels and bikinis to compete in bodybuilding competitions.

She’s rather good at it too — so far this year she’s won four national titles and now has her eye on becoming Ms Universe.

Ms Kenworthy started going to the gym to increase her strength for mixed martial arts.

But Harrogate’s bodybuilding barber Dave Steca noticed her potential and persuaded her to compete. She’s been hooked ever since. She said:

“My first show was in 2016. I came fourth out of five but absolutely loved the experience.  This, coupled with some reoccurring injuries from MMA, pushed me to make the switch to bodybuilding.”

Ms Kenworthy has won a string of titles since, but her highlight to date was winning the NABBA Ms Britain at St George’s Hall in Bradford last month.

Female bodybuilding competitions have evolved to include various categories for women depending on the level of muscularity they aspire to.

Ms Kenworthy competed in the athletic figure category at the British finals, which is more about shape and balance than pure size.

Her next competition will be in September but the NABBA Universe in November is her main goal this year.

She is coached by professional bodybuilder Wendy McCready who looks after her training and diet. She said:

“I train five days a week and do daily fasted cardio.

“My training style is heavy and to failure, focusing on two-to-three body parts each session. I’m always looking to progress my strength.

“I eat six times a day, all typically lean meat or eggs and vegetables plus a carb source, which can be either rice, oats or potatoes. This is supplemented with shakes either side of my workout.”

Ms Kenworthy, who trains at Coach Gym on Hornbeam Park, can leg press 320 kg at a body weight of 62kg, or 136 lbs. She said:

“My ambitions are to become a professional body builder and I would also like to start coaching.”

Read more:

• Harrogate’s bodybuilding barber set for world championships
• Injury ends Harrogate man’s World’s Strongest Man dream