Watch this space!

With the old Bulmershe Leisure Centre now demolished, we’ve been busy preparing the Woodlands Avenue site in Woodley ready for construction to start of its £14million replacement.

The new centre will include a six-lane 25-metre swimming pool, a teaching pool with a movable floor to enable a larger number of groups of ages and abilities to use it, a bigger gym plus a ‘live well’ (long-term condition) gym, a four-court sports hall, and an additional studio and a café.

It will benefit the whole community by providing up-to-date, accessible and flexible facilities, as well as preventative health services. We also hope it will become a community focus for people, regardless of their age or sporting ability, as a place to enjoy, and socialise, as well as somewhere to go for help to avoid health issues becoming a problem in the first place.

While the new centre is being built, people can use facilities at the St Crispin’s, Loddon Valley and Carnival Pool, Ryeish Green and Arborfield leisure centres.

We’re aiming to have this new centre ready and open during summer 2020. It will be run by our new partner Places Leisure.

More information: www.wokingham.gov.uk (search ‘Bulmershe Leisure Centre’)

Check out Ryeish Green Sports Hub

It replaces the former Ryeish Green Leisure Centre, which we closed in 2010 because it was no longer fit for purpose. Following a public consultation in 2015 we then invested £4million to refurbish the site and create the purpose-built facility that people wanted.

The new-look centre boasts a 45-station gym for members, a four-court sports hall, and studio, changing rooms and a full-size 3G football pitch and grass pitches.

Funding for all of this work has come from developer contributions, which are part of the planning agreements for the major housing developments in that area. This means these facilities have been created at no cost to the public purse.

It is being run by our new partner Places Leisure and is open Mondays to Fridays 7.30am to 10pm, Saturdays 8am to 6pm, and Sundays 8am to 8pm.

More information: www.placesleisure.org

Over 60s swim for free

If you’re over 60 you can enjoy up to four hours free swimming each week.

Swim for free at Loddon Valley Leisure Centre between 8.25am and 9.25am on Mondays, and 2pm to 3pm on Wednesdays. At Carnival Pool it’s 3pm to 4pm on Tuesdays, and 9.30am to 10.30am Fridays.

Simply show your proof of age at reception when you arrive.