But while Leigh Gymnastic Club is having to lodge in smaller premises at the old Grammar school, it will be moving back into the Railway Road campus of Wigan and Leigh College once the property has been sold.

The 108-year-old gym is the oldest working gym in the country.

Campaigners have been fighting tirelessly to keep it open. But business efficiency needs from the college meant the historic building was no longer needed.

The site has now closed to students and will temporarily close to the gym at the end of August.

Club coach Jill Orrell said: "It's so sad to see the gym boarded up until we can get back into it.

"Although I'm grateful that we have got somewhere else to go for now, I'm absolutely gutted it's being boarded up, it's a lovely old building which should be saved."

The club has applied for a heritage lottery bid of £900,000 and has raised £11,000 to renovate the property but still needs a further £40,000.

Jill added: "I have never forgotten what I read seven years ago in an old newspaper article tucked away in the archives.

"It may be these words that have kept me going and made me feel so strong about the Marsh family and what they did for Leigh.

"Mr William Edward Marsh who gave the Marsh gymnasium to the people of Leigh is quoted as saying: 'As we close the doors of this building the stone cries out of the wall and the timber answers it back, bidding us to carry on what others before us have begun, as each generation passes, another comes in its place, let us reap what they have sewn and when we ourselves are dead our works may speak for us.'

"I will be extremely sad to see the Marsh gym boarded up.

"We have all worked so hard to try to prevent it and I cannot believe it has come to this."

The Friends of Marsh gymnasium have applied to the heritage lottery fund to save the gym and restore it back to its former glory.

If the bid is successful the funding would be released next year to bring the gym back to life.

There are lots of fund-raising events planned to raise the extra £40,000 required for the lottery bid to restore the historic gymnasium in the future.

The Brighter Borough fund has donated £5,000.

Some of the events planned include the LSV 10km run and a fun day in August.

There are also plans being made with Leigh Miners Rangers for a firework spooktacular for Halloween at Manchester Road.