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Gyms in St Helens

Council pools in St Helens and Newton-le-Willows, a running track at Sutton and Merseyside's highest hill. Here's where to train in St Helens and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
21
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Showing 1–21 of 21 gyms

Places in St Helens

The town itself and Newton-le-Willows to the east.

Training in St Helens

A glass-making town with council pools at both ends of the borough.

About 183,200 people live in the borough of St Helens (Census 2021), up 4.5% since 2011, with a median age of 43. In Sport England's Active Lives survey for Nov 2024–25, 58.1% of adults here did at least 150 minutes of activity a week, against 62.9% across the North West, so there is room for more people to find a routine.

St Helens Borough Council runs its leisure centres as Go Active. Queens Park Health and Fitness on Boundary Road has a 25 m pool and a gym of more than 50 stations, Newton-le-Willows Health and Fitness on Ashton Road has a 90-station gym over two floors and a pool, and Sutton Leisure Centre has an eight-court sports hall, squash courts and a running track. Around them sit the Ruskin Drive sports village, gyms in Haydock and Newton, Thai boxing and judo clubs, gymnastics clubs and reformer Pilates studios.

Outside, there's Sherdley Park, the town's biggest, Carr Mill Dam, Merseyside's largest body of inland water, and Billinge Hill, the county's highest point. It's all easier with someone to train with. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in St Helens

Go Active's council centres first, then gyms, combat clubs, gymnastics and studios.

Public leisure centres (Go Active)

Gyms and health clubs

Martial arts and boxing

Gymnastics, yoga and Pilates

Find a training buddy in St Helens

A lane partner at Queens Park, someone to lift with in Newton, a running partner for the track at Sutton: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a St Helens training group

A Sunday run around Carr Mill Dam, a hill walk up to the beacon on Billinge Hill, a weekend group in Sherdley Park: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in St Helens.

  • Sherdley Parkabout 136 hectares in Sutton, the largest park in the town, with open woodland, a lake and an 18-hole golf course.
  • Carr Mill Dam55 acres north of the town centre, Merseyside's largest body of inland water, with lakeside trails and walks.
  • Billinge Hill179 m, the highest point in Merseyside, with an 18th-century beacon tower at the summit.
  • Sankey Valleyfollows the Sankey Canal, opened in 1757, for about 15 miles from St Helens through Warrington to Widnes.

Getting around

Rail and road routes to St Helens' gyms.

Rail

  • St Helens Central, on the Liverpool to Wigan line: Northern trains to Liverpool Lime Street and Wigan North Western, and an hourly train to Blackpool North
  • Newton-le-Willows, on the 1830 Liverpool and Manchester Railway: TransPennine Express hourly from Liverpool to Newcastle, and Transport for Wales to Chester and Llandudno

Road

  • the M6 at junction 23 (Haydock) and the M62 at junction 7 (Rainhill)
  • the A580 East Lancashire Road, built between 1929 and 1934

Who trains here

What the census and Sport England say about the people you'll train alongside.

  • 43Median ageUp from 41 in 2011, and three years older than the North West's 40.Census 2021
  • 58.1%Adults active 150+ min a weekAgainst 62.9% across the North West, so plenty of people here are still building the habit.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25
  • 20.9%Aged 50 to 64Up from 19.9% in 2011. A swim or class partner makes it easier to keep going.Census 2021

St Helens gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in St Helens?

Gymist lists 21 gyms, studios, martial arts clubs and sports venues across the borough of St Helens, from the town centre to Haydock and Newton-le-Willows. Our list is still growing, so some local gyms are not on it yet.

Which leisure centres are in St Helens, and who runs them?

St Helens Borough Council runs three centres under the Go Active name: Queens Park Health and Fitness on Boundary Road, Newton-le-Willows Health and Fitness on Ashton Road, and Sutton Leisure Centre on Elton Head Road.

Where can I swim in St Helens?

Queens Park Health and Fitness has a 25 m pool with a poolside sauna and steam room, and Newton-le-Willows Health and Fitness runs adult, family and lesson swims. Check the Go Active swimming timetables before you go.

Where can I train outdoors for free in St Helens?

Sherdley Park in Sutton is the town's largest park, with woodland and a lake. Carr Mill Dam, north of the town centre, has lakeside trails, and Billinge Hill rises to 179 m, the highest point in Merseyside.

How do I get to gyms in St Helens without a car?

St Helens Central is on the Liverpool to Wigan line, with Northern trains to Liverpool Lime Street and Wigan North Western. Newton-le-Willows station, on the original Liverpool and Manchester Railway, has TransPennine Express trains to Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle and Transport for Wales trains to Chester.

How do I find a gym buddy in St Helens?

Join Gymist free, add your gym and when you train, and browse members nearby. If there isn't a group for your kind of training yet, start one.

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