Leisure Centre goes for gold with Olympian grand opening
A two-time Olympic gold medallist is set to visit Selby to mark the official opening of the town's new leisure centre.
Selby
Two-years on from the devastating fire that forced the demolition of Scott Road's Abbey Leisure Centre, the town's long awaited £7M leisure facility will finally be open for Selebians to enjoy from Saturday, March 14th, it has been announced.
To mark the opening of the state-of-the-art facility Olympian Rebecca Adlington OBE will be in town on Saturday, March 21st to deliver special swimming lesson and unveil a commemorative plaque. Rebecca – the first British swimmer in 100 years to win two Olympic gold medals - will provide lessons for young swimmers, including local schoolchildren and youngsters from Selby Tiger Sharks.
Cllr Gillian Ivey, Deputy Leader of Selby District Council, said: “The new leisure centre is a fantastic addition to Selby and residents should be really proud to have such a first rate facility on their doorstep. I look forward to welcoming Rebecca Adlington to Selby for this special event in our district.”
Selby Leisure Centre has two swimming pools – a training pool and a six-lane 25m pool. The facility also includes a health and fitness centre with up to 100 stations of equipment and dedicated changing facilities; a class and exercise studio; a refurbished synthetic sports pitch; a multi-use space for large classes, activities and sports such as judo, dance sessions and children’s activities; meeting spaces and room hire; and a sauna and steam room.
Selby Leisure Centre has been part-funded by a £2m Sport England grant. It replaces Profiles Selby on Portholme Crescent, which closes its doors for the last time on the evening of Friday, March 13th.
Andy Wiggans, Chair of leisure operate WLCT who will manage Selby Leisure Centre, said: “We’re really excited to be managing this state-of-the-art facility, which will provide quality leisure services for the people of this wonderful town.
“With the Tour de Yorkshire heading here in May, Selby is well and truly on the sporting map.”
Sport England Property Director, Charles Johnston, said: “We want to help more people develop and a lifelong sporting habit and by investing in top class facilities that provide a good sporting experience, such as those at the new Selby Leisure Centre, we hope to achieve this.”
Anyone wishing to view the brand new facilities and sign up for one of the many memberships can do so by visiting http://www.selbyleisurecentre.org/, emailingselbyleisurecentre@wlct.org or calling 01757 213758.