First birthday celebrations for Wolverhampton swimming and fitness centre
Released: 6 December 2007
To celebrate its first birthday Wolverhampton Swimming and Fitness Centre operators D C Leisure Management are hosting a ‘Fitness Open Weekend’ this coming Saturday and Sunday, 8 and 9 December, between 10am and 4pm.
Visitors will be treated to light refreshments and have the chance to try out free personal training sessions, gym challenges and lifestyle appraisals, plus for younger guests there will be children’s face painting and free entrance to the children’s play zone.
In addition, anyone who takes out an annual membership during the celebration weekend will be given a free Apollo Mountain Bike.
Opened on 11 December last year, Wolverhampton Swimming & Fitness Centre, built and operated by DC Leisure Management in partnership with Wolverhampton City Council, has made a great impact on the city’s health and fitness.
Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture, Councillor John Reynolds, said: ‘“Swimming is a key part of the council’s leisure strategy to encourage more people to become more active and the new state of the art complex, very much designed for families, has proved to be highly popular.
“This new facility replaced two aging centres that had a combined annual usage in the region of 65,000 per year. The projected usage for the new centre is likely to exceed 500,000 per year which has surpassed all our expectations.
“It is a reflection of the centre’s extensive programme which offers a wide choice of activities, whatever people’s ability, which provide a great deal of fun and enjoyment for all those taking part”, he added.
Key successes at the centre include over 1,000 people on the Swim Academy learn to swim scheme; Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) accreditation; fitness membership at over 4,000 regular users; increased leisure participation across the city as a whole; and the rejuvenation of Heath Town Swimming Club which now has 200 members.
Figures just announced show that over 500,000 people will have visited the PFI (Private Finance Initiative) Bentley Bridge facility in its first year of operation.
General Manager Damian Watts, said: “Nobody could have predicted just how successful the centre would be in its first year. Indeed throughput has exceeded all of our expectations.
“Some of the key feedback has been the revelation that customers are delighted not to have to travel outside the city for a leisure swim and what fantastic value the activities on offer are’, he added.
Anyone wanting further information about the open weekend or any aspect of the leisure facility can call Wolverhampton 01902 384777.
Issued by the press office.