Pools are the tops with town swimmers
Monday, 23 December 2019
Keen swimmers began queuing from 6am as the pools at Dunstable Leisure Centre opened to the public with free swims for all.
Chrissie Hardy who took her six-year-old Bella (pictured) along for a free dip.
It’s brilliant, a really excellent facility for the town, I’m very impressed.
Bella too loved the new look pools:
They’re really, really good.
The £20m centre boasts a six-lane, 25m swimming pool providing a range of aqua classes along with public swimming sessions and timetabled activities. There’s also a 12.5m learning pool.
Throughout Monday, our partner Stevenage Leisure Ltd, responsible for the day-to-day running of the centre, will be offered spot prizes of swimming passes to use in 2020. The free swim offer will run until the end of the year.
Central Bedfordshire Council’s Executive Member for Community Services, Councillor Ian Dalgarno, said:
As we’d hoped the centre has become a buzzing community hub. As you enter the large, bright and airy open-plan space that is the new library it’s clearly proving hugely popular. The space flows seamlessly from the main foyer and is zoned for different activities including space to relax, read or study, a children’s zone and new facilities for teenagers. As you’d expect, access to computers and iPads, is on offer as well as free Wi-Fi. The centre also boasts a refurbished sports hall, squash courts, a new 100-station gym and group exercise studios complete with creche, café, spaces to hire and offices for Citizen’s Advice.
The old leisure centre and library in Dunstable were no longer fit for purpose or cost effective to run. By bringing services together under one roof, the new building reduces running costs, while providing more flexible services and longer opening hours. The project was made possible by working in partnership with Sport England who contributed £1m National Lottery Strategic Facilities Grant funding to the project.