Our readers have nominated the top six gyms in Stroud and for the next week we’ll be profiling each of them so you can choose the Stroud News & Journal Best Gym 2021 winner.

Kicking off the week is Shorts Boxing Academy in Stonehouse, run by Carrie and Craig Short.

The qualified England Boxing coaches have run the club voluntarily for three years, with all the money they make reinvested back into it.

Carrie, the club secretary, said it was amazing to have made the shortlist. “It’s fantastic. We do boxing coaching because we love boxing and know what a great sport it is to aid in mental health and to help people who maybe didn’t socialise or they were isolated during lockdown.

“It’s just fantastic to see the change in people from the initial class to four weeks later.”

Since April 12, residents have been allowed to hit the gym after four months in lockdown and restrictions were relaxed further on May 17.

“If we won we’d be mind-blown. We’d be so grateful to everybody that’s voted for us. It would make us be able to pursue more funding to open our own premises,” said Carrie, who currently shares Douglas Morley Hall with other activity groups.

If you think Shorts Boxing Academy deserve to be crowned the best gym in Stroud, you can vote for them using a coupon from this week’s newspaper (June 30) or last week’s (June 27).

Simply send the coupon to the address listed on the coupon or leave it with your gym of choice when you arrive for your next session.

Voting closes on July 11.