THEY were queuing out of the door to get in – Woodley residents couldn’t wait to get in to the new Bulmershe Leisure Centre which opened on Monday.
Borough mayor Cllr Macolm Richards cut the ribbon to declare the Woodlands Avenue centre officially open at 9am, but the site had seen swimmers and gym users trying to get in ahead of its 6.30am start time.
The centre had been due to open in March, but the coronavirus pandemic had delayed that plan. Now it is and special social distancing measures have been put in place to make the site as safe as possible.
It replaces the former 1970s centre on the same Woodlands Avenue site, knocked down two years ago.
Wokingham Borough Council’s partner, Places Leisure, will manage the facility and ensure smooth running of the services it offers.
The centre includes a six-lane 25-metre swimming pool, a teaching pool with movable floor, a bigger gym plus a ‘live well’ gym, a four-court sports hall, and an additional studio and café.
The council says it will benefit the whole community by providing up-to-date, accessible and flexible facilities, as well as preventative health provisions.
Cllr Richards was thrilled to be the one to cut the ribbon to Bulmershe.
“I was very pleased to open the centre – it’s an excellent venue, in a central location. Wherever you live in the borough, it’s not far to get here.
“It’s got great facilities, the staff are very capable, it’s beautifully clean and hygiene.
“I can’t think of any reason why you wouldn’t use this as your leisure centre.”
Tony Penge, contract manager for Places Leisure, was delighted that the centre was opened after the long delay caused by coronavirus.
“I’m a happy man today,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming, and the feedback we’ve had from customers has been great – they could not wait for the doors to open.
“The new Bulmershe cannot be any further from the old centre, which was great in its day. This is built for today. The old centre had lots of issues, lots of things that needed to be sorted out, whereas this is a brand-new state-of-the-art facility with everything that the local community needs.”
Some customers may be wary of how the centre will operate in these covid-secure days.
“We’ve opened our other sites a couple of weeks ago and learned from that – everyone has come back with such positive feedback since we’ve reopened.”
Centre manager Daniel Zubiena (pictured inset) said: “It’s a great facility for everyone in the community.
“I’ve got lots of favourite parts of the site – the gym is fantastic, the swimming pool is great.
“For me, I think my favourite is the group cycling studio. It’s just got really good ambience, great lighting and sound, so it will be exciting to see it packed out with lots of people in there getting a workout.”
Cllr Parry Batth, executive member for environment and leisure, said: “I’m very, very pleased it’s open, and I want to thank the contractors, our own staff and everybody involved in getting this place up and ready and open for residents.
“I truly passionately believe in the health and well-being of our residents.
“Bulmershe is a perfect example where they can come and be healthy and enjoy this beautiful place where they can go swimming, use the gym, the kids can play, play badminton – these are absolutely fantastic facilities for them to enjoy.”
His favourite part is the swimming pool.
Although numbers are limited at the moment due to the coronavirus, Cllr Batth said: “I love swimming and the six-lane pool is a delight.
“It was fully booked on Monday morning.
“I also enjoy playing badminton, so I’ll be using that facility as well.”
The centres are part of the council’s drive to encourage residents to live healthy lives.
“We provide these fantastic facilities for residents, so they can keep fit and healthy. It’s for all ages.
“Wokingham is probably the healthiest place in the country because of our facilities that we offer.”
Cllr Batth is now looking for the next stage of the
council’s partnership with Places Leisure.
“They’ve worked very, very hard and I’d like to thank them for it,” he said.
“They’ve made Bulmershe really fit for purpose and, and now of course, we’re hoping to continue that relationship over at Carnival Pool, which is another two years away.”
Mr Penge added: “We’re absolutely on track for Carnival – it will be bigger, and you know, even better, so we’re really excited.”
For more on the centre, email: enquiries@bulmersheleisure centre.org
