Olympian opens revamped leisure centre
FAREHAM Leisure Centre saw a touch of bronze as it reopened following a £6.3 million revamp, with Everyday Active and borough council chiefs hosting various events that have seen visitors including local Olympians and ex-England international footballers.
The Mayor of Fareham, Councillor Pamela Bryant, was joined by Tokyo 2020 (August 2021) BMX Freestyle Olympic medallist, Declan Brooks, to unveil the refurbished centre for the first time on Saturday, October, 16. Also cutting a ribbon and posing for photographs, the Portchester bronze medalist gave his support to the revamped venue during a tour of the council-funded upgrades.
These feature state-of-the-art facilities including a ‘Top Rock’ climbing wall for children and adults, soft play area for younger children and an indoor splash pad suitable for people who might experience difficulty gaining access. The investment has also enabled the gym to be refurbished and extended and a new Fortis Studio created. It provides gym-goers with high-intensity interval training using Speedflex machines, which do not put any impact through the joints and help avoid injury and post-workout pain.
At the fun-filled open weekend lasting until Sunday evening, visitors had the opportunity to try out the new facilities as well as a variety of activities for free, including family swim sessions and various exercise classes. On Tuesday (19/10/2021) the centre was given another seal of approval from ex-England football international and Premier League record holder turned pundit Alan Shearer, who witnessed first-hand how visitors get on in FORTIS – a HIIT-based workout class powered by Speedflex.
The Executive Member for Leisure and Community at Fareham Borough Council, Councillor Sue Walker, said: “I am delighted to see Fareham Leisure Centre benefit from this injection of investment. It has been a social hub for more than 40 years and is now set to continue this legacy for many years to come. I hope that the fantastic new facilities will inspire more people to get active and excel in sport.”
Ryan Grant, Contract Manager at Everyone Active, added: “We’re so excited to welcome people back to the refurbished Fareham Leisure Centre. It will be great to see the local community benefiting from all the fantastic facilities we have to offer and to see the centre helping the community improve their health and wellbeing.”
For more information about Fareham Leisure Centre, please go to their website that can be found via this link: https://www.everyoneactive.com/centre/fareham-leisure-centre/. The site is based on Park Lane in Fareham.
Photograph by Mike Cooter
