A HEALTH club director, who is in training to be a gladiator, was delighted when Saracen arrived to work-out at the club and showed him the ropes.

Paul Taylor, of Oasis Health Club, Montague Street, Blackburn, is testing his strength against the other 25,000 Gladiator hopefuls this year.

He was approached by Saracen, alias Mike Lewis, who wanted to exercise at the club while appearing in panto at King George's Hall.

He has been toning his muscles and maintaining his fitness level at Oasis for five weeks - when not performing as Little John in Robin Hood at King George's Hall.

Brian Jones, another director at Oasis, said: "Saracen had been to other health clubs and gyms in the area, but said he hadn't found anywhere satisfactory and asked if he could come down. He said he was pleasantly surprised to find Blackburn had facilities as good as ours.

"We were very pleased when he selected Oasis. We are not primarily a body building gym, but he needs both weight training and cardio-vascular exercises for strength and speed and we provide for both."

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