Tameside's flagship £15million new leisure centre has officially opened its doors to the public today.
The Tameside Wellness Centre, which has been built on land which housed the former Oldham Batteries site in Denton , was completed ahead of schedule in February.
The state-of-the-art centre includes an eight-lane 25m competition swimming pool with room for 150 spectators and a learner pool.
It also features a spa area including sauna, steam and relaxation facilities, a fitness suite, and a ten-pin bowling alley.
But under its remit as a 'wellness' centre, it also hosts a variety of other uses including a children’s soft play area, meeting rooms, multi-use studio spaces and a social interaction zone.
The roof space will be transformed into a sensory garden and can also be used for a pop-up cinema, small theatre or open air exercise space.
The centre launched to the public on March 2 following an official plaque unveiling ceremony on Sunday with council leader Brenda Warrington and Active Tameside chief executive Chris Rushton.
The Active Denton pool closed on Friday with its key services moving to the Wellness Centre, which sits off the new Denton link road Lance Corporal Andrew Breeze Way.
Swimming lessons were held in the new pool over the weekend which meant that no lessons were cancelled during the changeover.
The project is part of Tameside council ’s £20m investment into the borough's leisure facilities.
Coun Warrington said she was 'delighted' the centre was open for residents to enjoy.
“I’d like to thank all those involved in bringing our vision to reality and creating a top-class facility that has something for everyone, from the latest leisure equipment to creative community spaces that will help bring people together and keep as active and healthy as possible," she added.
The official launch saw a performance from Tameside Music Service as well as tours of the facilities.
A second plaque was unveiled at the site by Kerry Williams and her daughter Lucie to open the centre’s disability facilities.
Lucie is disabled and Kerry was involved in the consultation over their design to ensure the building is accessible and caters for everyone.
Chris Rushton said: “We are delighted to be up and running at the Wellness Centre, which is already proving to be hugely popular.
"The Wellness Centre is iconic in every sense and will be a force for good in our ongoing quest to help Tameside residents live their best lives.”
The centre has been designed by Pozzoni Architecture, with disabled access to the swimming pool and 'dementia friendly design' used throughout the development.
It was delivered by developer Network Space and construction company Willmott Dixon, and was backed by a £1.5m grant from Sport England.
