Alliance Leisure and Shapemaster have joined forces as part of efforts to offer not-for-profit fitness facilities a way of targeting new user groups.

The venture will see Shapemaster installing £50,000 worth of toning table equipment at sites run by trusts and other not-for-profit companies. Shapemaster will also deliver all the back up marketing, sales and promotional support for free.

The scheme is designed to work on an income share basis, where the facility retains the initial income up to an agreed level, after which the income share mechanism kicks in.

Pendle Leisure Centre will be the first site in the UK to benefit from the initiative. The project forms part of a small redevelopment that will see the centre's bar and lounge area transformed into the area's first 'Feel Good Factory' boasting it's own reception and a relaxation area where customers can buy refreshments.

The new equipment installed at Alliance sites will include Shapemaster's new range of dual-function exercise equipment, designed for a range of potential members - including people with disabilities, mobility and stability issues.

Twelve machines have been installed at Pendle Leisure Centre - six Easytone chairs and six Powertone tables, which will offer customers the general benefits of a regular exercise programme covering all of the major muscle groups as part of a circuit.

Sarah Watts, Managing Director of Alliance Leisure comments: "We have been investigating diverse ways that facilities can attract new users groups and our partnership with Shapemaster will enable operators to target specific groups in line with government recommendations, as well as providing an opportunity to create additional revenue."

Alliance Leisure is part of the PTE group, which includes Physique, Physique Service, ZigZag and Home Fitness Direct.