|
Over a hundred enthusiastic young swimmers from across Wigan Borough
helped ensure that Leigh’s brand new pool was christened in style on
Sunday.
Leigh Indoor Sports Centre, part of the £83m Leigh Sports Village,
hosted its first ever swimming gala to commemorate the opening of the
pool. Over 140 enthusiastic competitors aged from 9 to 15 splashed in to
mark a new era for swimming in the town.
Organised by the recently re-named ‘Atherton and Leigh Amateur Swimming
Club’, the event also featured Ashton Central, Hindley, Howe Bridge
Aces, Tyldesley and Wigan swimming clubs. All of the races were 50m
sprints – two lengths of the pool.
The club, originally formed in 1902, has adopted Leigh as part of their
name in recognition of their new home. The gala was made possible thanks
to support from the Local Network Fund and the Community Foundation for
Greater Manchester who awarded the club a grant of £4,775. The funding
has been used to purchase all of the necessary equipment required to
host such a professional gala and for future events.
Atherton and Leigh Amateur Swimming Club’ Secretary Lev Baddley said:
“We are delighted that today was such a success and that we have moved
into our new home. A lot of hard work has gone into the move and we
would like to thank all of the team at Leigh Indoor Sports Centre for
all their help. We have built a great relationship with them and we are
sure it will only become stronger. This is a fantastic facility that we
hope will help encourage new swimmers to join us as we look to develop
the club for future generations. We will be holding trials for new
swimmers in early February, but in the meantime will be ‘bedding-in’ our
own swimmers to get them used to their new surroundings.”
Special guests at the gala included The Mayor of Wigan Cllr John
O’Brien, Amateur Swimming Association North West Region President Diane
Stafford and MP for Leigh Andy Burnham who commented: “It has been
thirty years since Leigh has had its own pool so this has been a truly
memorable and moving day. The enthusiasm and sheer joy we have witnessed
here is exactly what the journey to build Leigh Sports Village was all
about. All of those who took part should be proud of their achievements.
I hope all of the partners involved in this unique project will continue
to work closely together to ensure that this is the first of many
exciting events we will host in Leigh in the future.”
Leigh Indoor Sports Centre was opened on Wednesday 2nd January. The
£6.4m facility, funded by Greenbank Partnerships, Wigan Council and
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust, will be used by sports clubs and
individuals for a range of activities including aerobics, basketball,
dance, swimming, karate, badminton and gymnastics.
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust Executive Director Martin Eden said: “We
are delighted that today’s event was so successful – it is credit to the
dedication of the swimming club and their willingness to work with us on
this project. Without the commitment, vision and belief of organisations
such as Wigan Council, Greenbank Partnerships, Trevor Barton and all of
the many others involved today would never have happened. We believe
this sports centre is part of the best sports village of its type in the
region and we hope the people of Leigh and the surrounding areas will
get involved and enjoy this marvellous facility with us.”
For more information about Leigh Indoor Sports Centre call in at Leigh
Sport Village (off Atherleigh Way, Leigh), phone 01942 404857, or visit
www.wlct.org/leighsportscentre
For more information about Atherton and Leigh Amateur Swimming Club
contact Lev Baddley on 01942 874734, email
levbaddley@hotmail.com or
visit
www.athertonsc.org.uk
-ends-
Leigh Indoor Sports Centre includes:
- swimming pool – a 25m, six-lane pool suitable for regional galas with
spectator seating.
- sports hall – consisting of eight courts, can be used for badminton,
basketball, netball and volleyball with seating for up to 280 people;
- Profiles Health and Fitness Suite – a 65 work station gym with weight
resistance and cardiovascular equipment;
- multi-purpose room – will provide a range of aerobic sessions and
martial arts activities for up to 40 people;
- aerobics suite – ideal for aerobic work-outs and suitable for all ages
and abilities;
- changing room village – a series of individual changing areas
complemented by six additional changing rooms.
Leigh Sports Village: For further information about Leigh Sports Village
contact Cheryl Spykerman on 01942 705685 or visit
www.leighsportsvillage.co.uk alternatively contact Deborah Sadler on
0161 235 6392 or at
deborah.sadler@sadlerpr.com
Leigh Sports Village is the biggest investment in public sports,
recreational and educational facilities in Wigan borough for many years
and will transform Leigh into one of the finest hubs of activity in the
North West.
The £83m project also includes:
- 10,000 seat stadium
- new Leigh Sixth Form College building
- 400 metre running track with a covered sprinting facility and club
house
- new pavilion for a Leigh East Rugby League Club
- floodlit grass and artificial pitches and a multi use games area
- 150 bedroom 4 star hotel and offices
- leisure and specialist retail facilities including a cinema,
restaurants, bars and a ten-pin bowling alley.
Partners involved in Leigh Sports Village include:
Greenbank Partnerships Limited
Leigh Centurions Rugby League Club
Leigh East Amateur Rugby Football Club
Leigh Harriers Athletics Club
Leigh RMI Football Club
Leigh Sports Village Company
Leigh Sports Village Trust
Wigan and Leigh College
Wigan Council
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust
►
Print this page
►
Return to Trust News
|
Swimming gala to commemorate the opening of
the pool
|