Leisure at Cheltenham’s £2.5 million redevelopment moves forward

The gym refurbishment is set to be completed by 28 April and work will begin on the swimming pool changing room week commencing 30 April.

The project at Leisure at is part of a £2.5million partnership project between The Cheltenham Trust, Cheltenham Borough Council, Sport England and Gloucestershire County Council designed to develop and enhance the Leisure at experience for visitors and members.   

The swimming pool changing rooms will be upgraded with additional disability changing, including a changing places facility. The female group changing will be uplifted to include new lockers, toilets and vanity area. Customers will be able to use the changing rooms whilst the work is being carried out, however some areas will be inaccessible at times.

The reception area is being remodelled to improve the customer experience to include fast track kiosks for members. The area will have a new welcoming reception desk and retail space.

Julie Finch, CEO of The Cheltenham Trust, says: “We’re really pleased with how the project is progressing so far and absolutely delighted that it remains on schedule.   

“Our new gym will reopen on 28 April with the latest range of Precor equipment and inclusive fitness equipment allowing us to better cater for our disabled users. The upgraded gym changing rooms will see new showers, lockers and disabled facilities.   

“We’re looking forward to the reception area improvements as this will make a huge difference to our customers’ experience.

“We would like to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience during this time however we will ensure that any disruption is kept to a minimum.”

Mark Sheldon, project sponsor for Cheltenham Borough Council, says: “This project delivers a much needed investment into one of Cheltenham’s most used assets and will help provide better overall healthy lifestyles for all ages and abilities for our residents and visitors; the council is delighted to be working in partnership with The Cheltenham Trust on this project.”

More detailed information on the leisure centre’s development work can be seen on their new microsite www.cheltenhamleisuredevelopment.co.uk; website www.leisureatcheltenham.com and Facebook page www.facebook.com/leisureat. Customers are asked to email [email protected] with any questions.

This part of the project is scheduled to be completed by the early June 2018.

For media enquiries, contact: Laura Carter, communications officer, telephone 01242 264154, email [email protected]

Notes: The vast majority of services will run as normal while the redevelopment is underway and customers will be kept up to date with regular newsletters and information displayed within the building and on the website.

The Cheltenham Trust, manage and develop Leisure at as part of their portfolio of venues.  As a charity the Trust focus on enriching the lives of visitors and developing Cheltenham’s iconic assets which include Leisure at, the Prince of Wales Stadium, Cheltenham Town Hall, The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum and Pittville Pump Room. 

Funding from Sport England through the Swim Local initiative has been achieved by the Trust to improve the swim offer at Leisure at, encouraging those who don’t normally swim to be part of a programme of activity and benefit from upgrades to the facilities. Gloucestershire County Council match funded the project for disabled changing facilities.

More information about funding for the project can be found in the cabinet report on the council’s website (www.cheltenham.gov.uk).

The Cheltenham Trust is an independent registered charity responsible for the town’s £300m iconic cultural and leisure sites which also include the Prince of Wales Stadium, Cheltenham Town Hall, Pittville Pump Rooms and The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum. It took over the running of these facilities from Cheltenham Borough Council in 2014.

The redevelopment is part of The Trust’s broader vision to develop the diversity of experiences within the town that encourage public participation in diverse experiences that touch and inspire people be it through sport, culture, play, competition, heritage, learning, health and wellbeing.

Attracting over 570,000 visits per year, Leisure at Cheltenham welcomes a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds. As well as local customers, competition events attract audiences from the UK and internationally. Through this project The Cheltenham Trust is seeking to grow new audiences by some five per cent and to increase the dwell time of existing audiences in order to improve health and wellbeing, offering great experiences for all the family whatever their age.