CFUF Strength and Fitness on Bark Street is one of the 10 finalists in our The Bolton News Best Gym award 2026.

The gym is based in Bolton Lads and Girls Club’s old home in the town centre and specialises in functional fitness.

10 years on from moving into that home, they have gone from strength to strength.

Owner, Mark Parkinson, said: “In that time we’ve been awarded the most welcoming gym in Greater Manchester and the best functional fitness gym in Greater Manchester.

“We provide a gym community. Unlike commercial gyms, you’re working out in groups, people don’t come in and work out by themselves.

“People come in at a set time and then a group of them are coached – we have six coaches here, I am one of them.

“They are then taught what to do, how to move better and how to do a proper warm up, with mobility sessions.”

To find out more about CFUF, see their website here: https://www.unique-fitness.co.uk/

Mark added: “We don’t have machines, a lot of them you move backwards and forwards, up and down, there is no balance involved, no coordination involved, you often sit down so there is no core activation often.

CFUF Strength and Fitness has been nominated as one of Bolton’s best (Image: CFUF Strength and Fitness)

“Weight machines are great for bodybuilders who want to target specific muscles, or physiotherapy, but for general fitness it is not very good. We just use free weights, bar bells, dumbbells, kettle bells, calisthenics, gymnastics and the like.”

Speaking about being nominated, he said: “Myself and our members are so excited, it is brilliant. Our members have been taking newspapers home, cutting the slips out and bringing them back to us.

“The members are super excited and have been saying that it is not just about physical fitness, it is being part of a community and how that helps with mental health.

“It is a place where you can go and see friendly faces and be accepted, you may be on the same journey as them, be it weight loss or something else, and it can get rid of stresses after a hard day’s work.”

To cast your vote, pick up a copy of any paper until the end of the week.