It was home for the Lionesses during their Euros success in the summer of 2022 and has played host to some of the biggest sporting institutions in the world from the All Blacks to Manchester United and the England rugby teams.
All it takes is a stroll around The Lensbury Resort in Teddington in south west London and you can see the rich sporting heritage with mementos from teams that have called this place home before and framed tennis rackets from the likes of John McEnroe, Steffi Graf and Boris Becker - all of whom have stayed on site and practised on the 22 tennis courts.
To mark the launch of the new Dunbar Members’ Lounge - which cost £1.2M - at The Lensbury, an all-star panel event was held with Olympians, England rugby players and British tennis players, discussing elite sport and how the nation can improve their exercise levels.
A new survey commissioned by The Lensbury reveals that over half of Brits (53 per cent) would be open to trying an elite fitness programme but 40 per cent were concerned that ‘it might kill them.’
Despite Great Britain finishing in the top four in the medal rankings each of the last four Summer Olympics, participation levels across sport in Britain remains concerning with 12 million adults classed as inactive - doing less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week.
‘We have to take a more proactive approach to physical education. We can’t rely on elite sport funding,’ said Greg Whyte, OBE, also known as Super-Greg and a former Olympian turned sports scientist.
‘12-million adults in the UK do less than 30 minutes of activity per week. The World Health Organisation guidelines recommend 30 minutes per day. We have an obesity epidemic, and we have a population of children of which over two million leave school yearly unable to swim.
'That’s roughly one-third. It’s a statutory requirement for people to swim by Year Six. If you add the health crisis that we’re dealing with physically, mentally and emotionally, we are on the precipice of disaster and we have to do something about it,’ Whyte added.
Set across 25 acres on the banks of the Thames in Teddington, The Lensbury Club offers something for everyone including extensive gym and fitness facilities, 24 tennis courts, squash courts, a 25m swimming pool and a watersports centre on the river.
This summer, it will also host a range of European football clubs for pre-season and will provide the base for the visiting countries - New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan - for England’s Autumn Internationals at Twickenham.
Claire Llewellin-Davis, Managing Director at The Lensbury, said: ‘Everyone needs time to recharge and reset, but it’s often difficult to do so given the competing demands on our time.
'Our vision for the new lounge was to create a dedicated, exclusive space that embodies and supports The Lensbury’s focus on health and wellbeing.’
The launch of the Dunbar Members’ Lounge is part of a major investment in The Lensbury’s members’ club and facilities. An all-star panel event with Olympian Greg Whyte OBE, former England rugby union player and ‘Gladiator’ Jodie Ounsley, British tennis player Ryan Peniston, England rugby union player Rosie Galligan and British rower and Olympic gold medallist William Satch was held to mark the opening.