Northumberland County Council’s cabinet today agreed funding of almost £700,000 to carry out refurbishment work to Wentworth Leisure Centre in Hexham.

 

The £698,591 funding will help Active Northumberland, the charitable trust that manages the centre, to develop a whole new visitor experience.

 

Plans are in place to create of new multi-functional gym, upgraded changing areas and a newly designed reception area, providing a fresh, modern and inclusive feel to the centre. 

 

The gym will incorporate a functional training and free weights area, a group Wattbike cycling area, and a group exercise training area plus interactive areas allowing for sports club, group and individual training opportunities. There will also be state of the art cardiovascular and resistance equipment for individual users.

 

Cutting-edge gym technology will link mobile phones to the machines (via the Cloud and mywellness Mobile App) to  track both indoor and outdoor fitness sessions so users can  digitally track their wellness journey and monitor health improvement.

 

The reception area will be re-designed to be more interactive and welcoming and self service pods will be introduced for those who wish to use them.

 

Northumberland County Councillor Cath Homer, cabinet member with responsibility for leisure said:

 

“We felt there was a clear need to invest in the centre to ensure it continued to thrive. One of the aims of the refurbishment is to make the gym area an inspirational space for all members of the community, from those just beginning their exercise journey through to performance athletes competing at the highest level.

 

 “The investment will enhance the customer experience at the centre and is great news for the residents of Hexham, local schools and all those living in the  surrounding communities who use the facilities. “

 

Mark Tweedie, Chief Executive of Active Northumberland said: “We know how important an active lifestyle is for maintaining good physical and mental health, so it is important our customers have great facilities to enjoy their physical activity. At Active Northumberland we are committed to reducing health inequalities and creating more opportunities for residents in Northumberland to be active and stay healthy. 

 

“ We are currently looking at the way we deliver our leisure services to ensure they are more inclusive and to encourage more people to participate in a healthy and active lifestyle. The revitalisation and refurbishment work at Wentworth is one of the first steps in this transformation journey.”

 

The refurbishment work  is expected to start in April 2019 and take around two months to complete.