NEWS
Funding Secured For ‘Eco-hub’ Initiative At Yorkshire Pool
Aquatic Play At Coventry’s New £36.7m Leisure Centre Takes Shape Designed by FaulknerBrowns Architects, ‘The Wave’ building is a unique, circular shape to reflect the city’s weaving past. A highlight of its many facilities will be a spectacular open plan water park with a viewing area that will provide all visitors with a bird’s eye view of the aquatic play below. All water park levels are connected via a spiralling ramp to ensure every age and ability can access the fun, meaning The Wave will be one of the most accessible water parks in the country. Having decided on the layout of the pool areas and waterslides, FaulknerBrowns Architects and Hadron Consulting asked aquatic play specialists Ustigate Waterplay and Vortex International to complete the scheme with products that would deliver the maximum wow factor. FaulknerBrowns Architects and Hadron Consulting especially liked the aesthetically pleasing and innovative products designed and manufactured by Ustigate’s long-term partner Vortex, a world leader in aquatic solutions with 7,623 installations in 50 countries, renowned for their awardwinning products. ‘High Octane’ and ‘Sensory Overload’
were the end client’s key words to describe their requirement, and Ustigate and Vortex responded with a dynamic scheme to thrill and excite every water player. The design required bespoke engineering to account for the curvature of the building. Many standout design features have been incorporated into the inclusive Splashpad, located at the base of the ramp. A variety of gentle ground sprays have been placed at the entrance to greet each new arrival. Fun-filled elements include two Elevation™ play structures with decks, waterslides, accessibility bridges and slopes that enable all visitors to enjoy spraying leaves, spinning flowers, cannon fun and tipping buckets. There are products that engage children in collaborative and cognitive play throughout the design. The tallest product on the Splashpad will be the exhilarating ‘Superwave’, armed with a turbine and standing 6.29 metres high, it will be creating the biggest splash and soaking everyone in its path. Ustigate Waterplay 01322 424445 www.ustigatewaterplay.co.uk
Bramley Baths in Leeds has secured a £500,000 investment to establish an innovative new ‘eco-hub’ at the beautiful Edwardian Grade II listed building. The baths, which dates back to 1904, is a community-led social enterprise and houses a public gym, swimming pool, steam room and space for community events. Once created, the hub should bring down energy costs by up to 40%, significantly reducing environmental impact and allowing the baths to re-invest the savings into other projects. Power to Change, an independent trust whose funding is used to strengthen community businesses across England, has provided just over £295,000 from its Community Business Fund. Sport England has contributed a further £75,000, with the remainder coming from a loan and the bath’s financial reserves. Bramley Baths CEO Sue Stones said the investment will replace the existing ageing machinery and hopes it will reduce to ‘practically zero’ the number of pool closures due to technical problems. She said: “This investment will ensure we can continue to provide services to the community for many years to come. “This is just the first phase in our plans to invest in the building. We hope to follow this up with a project on a similar scale to update the rest of the Baths.” Bramley Baths Chairman John Battle said extra staff will be employed to support the additional works. He added: “This investment is fabulous news for the people of Bramley and beyond. Not only will we be lowering our eco footprint and making a big difference to the environment, we’ll also be helping to further secure the future of the Baths for future generations.”
Plas Coch Coastal & Country Retreat Makes Splash At Awards At the end of last year, staff at Park Leisure were celebrating after the company’s Plas Coch Coastal & Country Retreat was awarded Holiday Park Pool of The Year 2018 at an annual awards ceremony. The Anglesey based luxury holiday home park has been recognised for its outstanding onsite leisure complex and wide-ranging activity programme, including Water Walkerz sessions, scuba diving, snorkelling and swimming lessons. The award follows significant investment in to the leisure complex with a recent remodel providing additional privacy for guests and improvements to the exterior. Alongside
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aesthetic improvements, the business expanded the park’s already extensive leisure programme, adding underwater explorers and birthday pool parties to the offering. Speaking on the award, Leisure Complex Manager at Plas Coch, Luke Mitchell, said: “At Park Leisure we pride ourselves on providing the very best experience for every
guest. We are lucky enough to have a state-of-the-art leisure complex on park; it is wonderful to see our amenities and hard work recognised within the industry. “This year, the brilliant team at Plas Coch have worked hard to produce a comprehensive and varied activity calendar that will appeal to all guests. There really is something for everyone – from lazy Sunday morning swims, to themed activities and water safety education.” Open all year round, the luxury leisure facilities boasts a five-star spa, awardwinning pool, gym, hydro-pools, steam room and sauna.
www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk 17/01/2019 16:28