£3M Eldon Leisure Development Officially Opened
An official opening, marking the completion of a £3 million project to transform Eldon Leisure in the centre of Newcastle took place this week, following the public opening of all facilities in late June 2015.
The works were completed in just over six months and included a brand new eight lane tenpin bowling centre and fully licensed café bar, state of the art new fitness gym and studios, indoor Vertigo Adventure Climbing Arena and Jungle Jack’s Adventure Soft Play Area with adjoining café.
Eldon Leisure, situated in INTU Eldon Square Shopping Centre is managed by local charity North Country Leisure (NCL), part of the GLL group, who took over in July 2014 as part of an asset transfer arrangement from Newcastle City Council.
Eldon Bowl is open seven days a week, offering 8 lanes of tenpin bowling, special offers for juniors and families, students, beActive Leisure Card holders, group bookings and birthday party packages and includes a fully licensed restaurant.
Online booking is available via the North Country Leisure website.
The new fitness gym is one of the biggest in the North of England and customers can use it as part of the existing membership packages, which also give access to both Gosforth and West Denton Pool and Fitness Centres.
The exercise and dance studios and progression weight gym have also been refurbished as part of the works, adding to the choice of classes and variety of equipment already on offer.
A new fitness class programme has also just been launched as well as personal training sessions that form part of the new timetable following the opening.
Vertigo Adventure Climbing and Jungle Jack’s Adventure Soft Play opened as part of a second phase in the project and offer a great choice of activities for children and adults alike. Both open 7 days a week and are available for birthday parties and group bookings, with a new café area.
Vertigo is very different to traditional ‘climbing wall’, offering 19 different activity towers with features including climbing up falling blocks, planets, ice climbing and challenging a fellow climber in a race to the top, to name just a few. Children from as young as 4 years can take part and the variety of routes makes Vertigo ideal for adults too.
Jungle Jack’s Adventure Soft Play Area can be enjoyed by children aged 8 years and under and includes areas for babies, toddlers and an additional structure where older children can try out the slides, trampoline and other exciting features.
The new café area allows parents to relax while they keep an eye on their little ones and catering is provided as part of the party package options for all facilities.
The opening was attended by a range of people who all played a part in bringing the project to a successful completion.
Roger Tames, Chair of the NCL Newcastle Board of volunteer trustees welcomed guests and carried out the official duties on the day.
He said:
“Everybody who comes into Newcastle City Centre can see the tremendous redevelopment underway in Eldon Square but they might not be quite so aware that inside Eldon Leisure the changes are just as spectacular.
Come up and see us sometime, and I’m sure you’ll be really impressed by the superb new facilities which have transformed the centre into a leisure destination with an ultra-modern feel.
The summer holidays have already given plenty of families the chance to come in and enjoy a great time. Their reaction has been really encouraging.
This official opening should remind everybody that although our end of Eldon Square is still a few months away from completing a fantastic makeover, here at Eldon Leisure we’re already open for business and excited about a new era for one of the City’s most valued facilities."
For the latest information on opening dates, times and booking information, visit the NCL website www.northcountryleisure.org.uk or Eldon Leisure Facebook and Twitter pages.