A leisure centre is celebrating its second anniversary with an open day for all the family.

Visitors will be able to enjoy a wide range of activities at the Bert Williams Leisure Centre in Bilston during the event on Sunday 8 December, 2013, from having a go at sport and fitness activities to enjoying arts and crafts.

The state of the art £18.6 million facility has proved hugely popular since it opened in December 2011, with around 400,000 visitors a year - up 167% in comparison to the old leisure centre which it replaced.

To celebrate its second birthday, the open day will include free fitness taster sessions, including circuits, boxfit, body tone, kettlebell, rebound and yoga, while visitors can also have a go at a number of sports including basketball, racquet ball, badminton, football and table tennis or enjoy a special SwimFit session. Free inductions will be available for the Youth Gym.

Bilston Craft Gallery will be offering arts and crafts sessions, Bikeright is providing free bicycle checks and visitors can have a health check and pick up some basic first aid tips from the centre's training officer Adrian McDowell.

There will also be special offers in the cafe, while visitors can sign up for swimming lessons and find out about Fit Card membership and the special off peak rates available at the Bert Williams Leisure Centre.

Councillor Elias Mattu, Wolverhampton City Council's Cabinet Member for Leisure and Communities, said: "The Bert Williams Leisure Centre has been hugely successful since it opened in 2011 and we're delighted by its popularity.

"The centre is already receiving 400,000 visitors a year, but we want as many people as possible to know about the fantastic facilities and activities on offer and are looking forward to welcoming visitors old and new to the open day."

The centre, which is on Nettlefolds Way, is named after legendary footballer Bert Williams MBE, originally from Bradley, who made 420 appearances for Wolves and was capped 24 times by England.

Facilities include an 8 lane, 25m swimming pool, a studio pool, sauna, dance studio and health and fitness suite. There are also 4 squash courts, a sports hall which can be used for badminton, basketball, netball, volleyball and 5-a-side football, dedicated gym equipment for older people and a special gym for youngsters aged 8 to 15.

Over the last 2 years, the centre has become an important fixture on the local sporting scene, hosting a range of events including the Black Country Youth Games Finals and swimathons and becoming the home base for a number of sports clubs. Such has been its popularity that the number of fitness classes has increased from 42 to over 60 per week to cope with demand.

The open day on 8 December runs from 10am to 3pm. Times for individual events and activities vary and to find out more, please call 01902 552430.

  • released: Friday 22 November, 2013