New £17.5m leisure and wellness centre opens in Knaresborough
North Yorkshire Council say it's the perfect Christmas gift to the Town
Knaresborough’s new £17.5 million leisure and wellness centre opens its doors to the public today.
The new centre includes a six-lane 25-metre pool, a leisure pool with flume and a 60-station fitness suite. There is also a studio for group fitness classes, a bespoke group cycling studio, sauna and steam rooms, a café and an outdoor children’s play area.
"Being active is an essential part of living a healthy life"
Executive member for culture and leisure, Cllr Simon Myers, said: “By moving the service offer from being a conventional swimming pool to a community health and wellbeing service we aim to help people move more, live well, feel great and reduce the proportion of the population that is physically inactive."
The chief executive of North Yorkshire Sports, David Watson, whose charity promotes active lifestyles in the county, said: “I am delighted to see this fantastic new facility open in Knaresborough that will serve as a huge asset to the local community.
“Thirty-three years after the first pool was built in the town, this new facility retains the spirit of the original, with a pool and flume, but also adds much needed activity space with the new studios and fitness suite.
“Being active is an essential part of living a healthy life and having access to a range of opportunities, including facilities such as this, makes it easier for people to build physical activity into their daily lives.”
All the centres are managed day-to-day by Brimhams Active, the council’s health and wellbeing company.
Its chief executive, Mark Tweedie, said: “At Brimhams Active we have a simple vision – to ensure everyone in our community can lead an active, healthy, and happy life.
“The creation of this new leisure and wellness centre provides a modern, safe space where all walks of life, at every stage of life’s journey, can come together and enjoy a range of activities from swimming, gym and group exercise, to eating and relaxing. The investment really does deliver something for everyone. I’m now looking forward to working with my team to bring these facilities to life.”
The centre has been developed next to the old Knaresborough Pool, which was built in 1990 and last refurbished 20 years ago.
The Mayor of Knaresborough and North Yorkshire Council’s member for the Knaresborough East division, Cllr Hannah Gostlow, said: “I am delighted to see the new centre ready for the public – it is a great asset for the community and opens up new opportunities for them to enjoy.”