The winners of this year's Fitness Industry Association's (FIA) FLAME Awards were announced at the Ball of Fire ceremony held in Cheltenham on Wednesday (14 July).

The awards recognise excellence in the UK's health and fitness sector, with categories for companies, clubs and individuals.

David Stalker, executive director of FIA, said this year's entries were one of the most competitive in the history of the awards.

"Attracting a record number of entries, the 2010 FLAME Awards were hotly contested by organisations determined to win one of the most coveted awards in the industry," he said.

"In some cases, the difference between winner and runner up was a fraction of a percentage point."

The winners were:
Club of the Year (under 1000 members), The Valley Health and Fitness, EIS Sheffield
Club of the Year (1000 - 4000 members), Spirit Health Club, Haydock
Club of the Year (more than 4000 members), Warwickshire Golf and Country Club, Warwickshire
Centre of the Year, Concord Sports Centre, Sheffield
Corporate Club of the Year, RBS Nuffield Health and Fitness Club, Scotland
Educational Club of the Year, Abbs Cross Health and Fitness, Hornchurch
Spirit of FLAME, Peepul Centre, Leicester
Future of FLAME, Annie Redelinghuys, franchise owner of Curves Gravesend
Health Club Operator of the Year, The Club Company
Leisure Centre Operator of the Year, Sports & Leisure Management

Commenting the operator of the year award, Thierry Delsol, CEO of the Club Company, said: "For a company of our size it is a great feeling to be recognised by the industry. I am very happy to accept the award on behalf of the whole team because this award was won by them!"

The only award for which there are no application for and which is exclusively by the FLAME assessors - the Spirit of Flame - went to the Leicester based Peepful Centre. The Centre was handpicked in recognition of its unique pricing structure, and community interaction.

A spokesperson for the centre said: "This is a fantastic achievement after having gone from 230 members to almost 1,800 in a year.

"It's a great honour to be appreciated by the industry and know we are competing with the large operators in Leicester."