GYM users are outraged at the proposed closure of a valued medical exercise facility, forced to fold due to a lack of government funding.

Bold Street Medical Gym, which Health minister Alan Milburn once described as "an excellent example of an exercise on prescription scheme which meets the Government's challenge to GPs, to promote physical fitness amongst their patients", is set to close on April 1, despite its substantial record of treating patients with varied health problems.

Chairman of the management committee of Bold Street Medical Gym George Greenall said: "This decision has not been easy but alas has been forced upon us. Ceasing business will undoubtedly take its toll on the borough as it means hundreds of clients must now filter back on to waiting lists and inevitably increase drug usage."

The committee insists that people with medical conditions or people over a certain age will not attend a sports oriented gymnasium as they would feel intimidated.

Statistics from the gym's annual report show that last year alone 213 patients were referred to the gym and that many users suffered multiple ailments and would not be able to participate without the one-to-one supervision given at the gym.

Some of the health problems addressed there include osteo-arthritis, angina, depression, leukaemia, strokes, MS, eating disorders and celebral palsy.