It’s been exactly one year since the fantastic new Berwick Sports & Leisure Centre opened its doors to the public, and during that time it has gone from strength to strength. 
 

The new £22.6 million centre, funded by Northumberland County Council and operated and managed by Active Northumberland, opened its doors to the public on 8 February 2002, providing a wide range of opportunities for fitness, relaxation and fun. 
 

Over the past year, thousands of residents and visitors, of all ages have enjoyed the facilities which include a state-of-the-art gym, pools, a spa, indoor bowling green, a fantastic range of exercise classes, soft play, a café and much more. 
 

Over the past year fitness memberships have gone up a massive 60%, and there have been over 400,000 visits to the centre. 

There have also been over 100,000 swimming visits, 80,000 gym visits and 30,000 fitness class visits. 
 

Northumberland County Councillor Jeff Watson, cabinet member for Healthy Lives added: 

“It’s fantastic to see these new and improved sports facilities are proving so popular and are helping residents to enjoy a healthy lifestyle – the numbers speak for themselves. 
 

“The investment we’ve made has helped to make the centre a real asset for the community, providing local sports and training facilities which are accessible to all. 
 

“I hope people who have not yet visited the centre take the opportunity to go along and try it out, or alternately log on to the new Active Northumberland website www.activenortumberland.org.uk to view the facilities and timetables.” 
 

The fitness timetable includes Body Balance, Body Combat, studio cycling, Zumba, abs and toning work outs as well as more holistic offerings such as Age Will, yoga, Pilates and relaxation and meditation. 
 

To support residents with health challenges there are specialist exercise classes for those with Parkinsons and Multiple Sclerosis, there is dementia football, a GP exercise on referral class and a sensory room. 
 

Mark Warnes, Chief Executive of Active Northumberland added: 

“The sports Centre is a first-class venue with a huge variety of activities on offer and is now home to dozens of different clubs, community groups and local schools.” 

“We're here to support people both mentally and physically and are so pleased to see so many new and returning members through our doors and the community benefiting from all the fantastic activities. “ 
 

Residents can pay-as-they-go when they visit the centre, but there are a range of great flexible membership options. These work out cheaper for regular users and have many additional benefits. These include expert one-on-one support and guidance, a specially tailored training package for their personal fitness journey, a health check, and access to advance bookings. 
 

Sarah Douglas who attends the Age Well class added: 

“The staff are amazing and the class is fantastic and so enjoyable. I feel so much more mobile and am able to do more and more every day.”  
  

The new centre was financed by Northumberland County Council as part of an ambitious £65 million countywide investment programme to upgrade and transform sport and leisure facilities and to enhance the customer experience. This includes the building of new leisure centres in Morpeth and Ponteland and major investment to refurbish and revitalise centres in Blyth and Hexham.