Serco : Leisure opens state-of-the-art new leisure centre in Stechford

Serco Leisure today opened the doors for the first time to a state-of-the-art new leisure centre in Stechford, Birmingham, as part of an investment programme which is transforming leisure provision in the city.

The centre is the second of four new leisure centres being built in Birmingham overseen by Serco Leisure, underpinned by a city-wide investment of nearly £40 million by Birmingham City Council and Sport England. Serco Leisure were appointed the managing agent for eight of the City Council's leisure centres in 2015, in partnership with Birmingham Community Leisure Trust.

The £9m new centre in Stechford replaces the former Stechford Cascades centre, and offers a host of new facilities designed to meet the health and fitness needs of the local community, with options for all ages, interests and fitness levels.

Facilities include:

• An 100-station gym, offering the latest cardio and resistance equipment
• A 25-metre pool and a separate dedicated teaching pool
• A dedicated free weights area, with expert instructors on hand to provide advice and assistance
• An extensive programme of workout classes including Yoga, Pilates, Bodycombat and Bodypump
• A flexible 4-court Sports Hall which will be home to activities including tennis, badminton and football
• A Boditrax body composition analysis station, allowing customers to monitor their progress towards their fitness goals with help from qualified instructors
• A café offering drinks and a range of healthy light meals and snacks

The new centre has been completed on budget and on schedule, taking just over year to build. Construction is continuing on a third new leisure centre at Northfield in the south of the city and will begin on the fourth at Icknield Port Loop in Edgbaston later in the year. The first of the four centres was successfully opened in Erdington in September last year and is already proving extremely popular with local residents.

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Jamie Bryant, Serco Leisure's Birmingham Partnership Director said:

'We are incredibly proud to be opening this fantastic state-of-the-art facility, which we hope will be a real hub of the community for Stechford residents. Our team has worked incredibly hard with our construction partners to make our vision for the centre a reality and I am very pleased that we have been able to open it on time and on budget.'

Cllr Ian Ward, Birmingham City Council's Deputy Leader, said:

'I am delighted that our residents in Stechford and the surrounding area now have a brand new leisure centre. As the recently named Host City for the Commonwealth Games in 2022, it is vital we continue to support first-class grassroots sporting facilities for Birmingham and I thank our partners for working with us to provide cost effective and modern buildings such as this. Despite the considerable financial challenge we face, this shows we will continue to support and encourage people to remain active and pursue a healthy lifestyle.'

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