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Leisure centre reopens after almost two-year refit

Richard PriceWest Midlands
News imageBBC A group of people in blue or yellow uniforms are standing at a counter in a leisure centre with branding on the wall behind them. There is a pale grey flooring and a series of hanging lights dangling from the ceiling.BBC
Staff at the centre welcomed the first customers back through the door on Tuesday morning

A town's leisure centre has reopened to the public following a £17m overhaul.

Leek's leisure centre, which has been shut since October 2024, is run by council-owned firm My Active which also operates centres in the High Peak district in Derbyshire as well as others in the Staffordshire Moorlands.

"There's a lot of 'wows' when people walk in," said Ian Sales, the firm's head of operations.

"The finished article, we're so happy with as a company – it's fantastic," he added.

Facilities now include a six-lane pool, replacing the old four-lane one, as well as a new teaching pool.

The gym area has been completely overhauled, and a new "future studio" has been added which makes use of floor-to-ceiling graphic displays that can interact with users.

The refit has also seen a golf simulator room added and a dedicated space for spin classes.

News imageA gym with treadmills and cross trainers has a pale purple wall and a light wood-effect floor. There is branding on tv screens in the room, which has a dark ceiling and light fittings space evenly along its length.
The leisure centre's gym area has been completely overhauled as part of the refurbishment

Sales said: "It's a public leisure centre for the public of Leek and the surrounding areas, but it looks like a private health club. It looks phenomenal."

Matt Swindlehurst, portfolio holder for leisure and tourism at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, said it had been a "complex journey" to get the facility ready to reopen.

News imageA swimming pool, with steps in the foreground and flags at either end. There is a white metal ceiling with several beams stretching the width of the pool room. There is railing on either side of the steps and windows in the distance.
Councillor Matt Swindlehurst said he was really excited about using the new six-lane swimming pool

"I'm just so pleased to see it all come to this point where we're ready to welcome the public in, they're the people who matter the most," he said.

"Refurbishing an existing building is always more complex than a new build."

He added the authority was now looking forward to forthcoming projects which would enhance the authority's leisure centres in Cheadle and Biddulph.

Of the set-up in Leek, though, he said it was not just "swim and gym" and that there were areas to encourage inactive people to live more active lifestyles and those who needed rehabilitation to use a new dedicated area to work on their recoveries.

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