FRIENDS of a much-missed Bournemouth man have held a workout in his memory.

Peter Worrall died in December last year, aged 49, after being involved in a crash in Castle Lane East, which also left his wife Julie, then 48, seriously injured.

He was a keen fitness enthusiast who made many friends at the Littledown Centre gym, and on the morning of Christmas Eve they took part in an hour of intense circuit training to pay tribute in a distinctive way.

Co-organiser Mark Smallwood, from Bournemouth, said: “We had good turn out and everyone got into the spirit of it. It was a bit emotional at the start, we knew Pete quite well.

“Pete’s passions at the gym were weight lifting and ‘insanity’ workouts, so everybody partnered up for a real combination of fast and furious cardiovascular work.

“He never had a bad word to say about anybody, and there aren’t many people you can say that about. He really stood out.

“Our plan is to try and do this each year so we can keep him in our hearts.”

It was the second time they had held the event after a similar gathering was arranged shortly after Mr Worrall’s death. Many of his friends from the gym travelled to his funeral by coach later that month.

The crash that took Mr Worrall’s life took place at around 7.30pm on Sunday, December 15, 2015. His wife sustained serious injuries to her pelvis and head during the collision, which involved a Volvo V40 car.

The driver of the Volvo and its front seat passenger, a 19-year-old woman from Christchurch, sustained minor injuries.

Mr and Mrs Worrall had moved to Bournemouth around five and a half years before the crash.

Mr Smallwood, who met Mr Worrall at the Littledown, routinely joined him at 6am for training. He said: “Pete always worked out at the gym - he used to love doing Insanity classes and circuits.

“He was a fantastic individual and he’s so missed.”

Originally from Birmingham, Mr Worrall worked as a director for Key Industrial Equipment on the Ebblake Industrial Estate in Verwood.

Tomas Pittaway, 26, of Stibbs Way in Bransgore, has denied causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving while uninsured in relation to the crash. A trial is due to take place at Bournemouth Crown Court in January.