KEEN Irvine fitness fanatics have been allowed to take their gym home with them after it was closed due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Gym-goers were left gutted after Crossfit Scotland was forced to shut in line with UK government guidelines on social distancing.

Irvine Times: Ron Mckinstray wants to keep the community open. Ron Mckinstray wants to keep the community open.

But their spirits were soon lifted after kind owners Ron McKinstray and Neil Foley decided to let members take £50,000 worth of exercise machines home with them.

They decided to invite members to come down and choose equipment, after it was announced that the gym may be shut for up to three weeks as the country is placed in lockdown.

Ron Mckinstray, 58, told the Times: “The gym might be closed but our community is still open.

Irvine Times: The gym was emptied earlier this week. The gym was emptied earlier this week.

“We have been in business for 12 years, we worked hard to build up our business, so it was sad to see it close.

“We don’t want our members to lose their fitness. Me and Neil though it would be best to let them take the gym home.

Over 100 members have benefited, it comes to about £50,000 worth of equipment.”

Ron, who has just went through months of treatment for advanced prostate cancer, was just starting to get back into full time work when the lockdown was announced by Boris Johnson.

Irvine Times:

Throughout his battle with cancer, he found keeping up an exercise routine to be a life saver, and now hopes members can continue to keep their health in check with the equipment at home.

He said: “It tends to brighten up your day doing that work out, you can only watch so much of day time TV.”

PE Teacher Scott Frew took the opportunity to grab a rowing machine, which would have cost him around £1,000 to buy.

The member of CrossFit for two years told the Times: “What they have done for us is fantastic.

“With me being a PE teacher, I’m not used to having this time off so soon. All the days are just rolling into one. I’m used to exercising all the time, and I would go to the gym three or four times a week.

“It’s a big thing, it’s a massive community and to be trusted like this is great, its also important for our mental health during this time.”

In addition to the equipment, the gym have been posting stay at home workouts each day available for anyone to join in with, in a bid to boost morale in the community.

The daily equipment free workouts have gone worldwide with views in New Zealand and Brazil.

Ron added: “It’s for the greater good of the community to keep them happy and motivated, that’s all that really matters to us.”