A £2.5m project to refurbish Leisure at Cheltenham has completed allowing the centre to accommodate growing membership numbers and better cater for those with disabilities.  The partnership project between The Cheltenham Trust, Cheltenham Borough Council, Sport England and Gloucestershire County Council creates a sport, fitness and play destination for visitors and members.

Alliance Leisure has delivered the scheme under The UK Leisure Framework. The project includes an extension to the gym with new equipment including strength and CV kit from Precor, with all CV equipment enabled with Preva networked fitness, and a range of specialist and high intensity CV equipment from Origin Fitness including Wattbikes, Concept2 Ski-Erg and Stairmaster Upper Body Ergometer. A new functional training area includes a Queenax™ functional training unit, Assault AirRunner and an Assault AirBike Elite from Precor, along with Origin’s specialist flooring finished with customised markings.

The development has been a reallocation of space across two floors of the 3,097 square foot building. Two courts in the sports hall were retained and the rest of the space – equivalent to 3 courts, has been remodelled to create a vibrant XHeight Adventure Climbing facility and soft play zone like nothing else available locally. The community was lacking a facility where families could enjoy time together and this development has successfully addressed this issue.

The introduction of inclusive equipment increases the centre’s capacity to meet the needs of health-related activities such as GP referral and physiotherapy programmes.

Two of the centre’s five squash courts have been converted into two new exercise studios, allowing the venue to expand its studio timetable offering and to introduce Les Mills Virtual classes.

Two former large changing rooms have been converted into a large 88sqm aquatics play area for children and families. The first of its kind in Cheltenham, the space features a host of interactive water play facilities including jets, cascades and water curtains; hand wheels and fill ‘n’ spill buckets;   and a slide and interactive wall panels, all supplied by Hippo Leisure.

The reception area has been remodelled to improve the customer experience with a new welcoming reception desk, new access control, fast track kiosks for members and retail space.

Elsewhere, the gym changing rooms have been upgraded with new showers, lockers and disabled facilities. The swimming pool changing rooms now offer additional disability changing, including a changing places facility, while the refurbished female group changing includes new lockers, toilets and vanity area.

A new Pool Pod Hoist ensures access to the swimming pool for those with disabilities.

Aside from an upgrade in gym equipment in 2013, the project represents the first significant investment in the centre since it re-opened in 2008 following severe flood damage.