PRESS RELEASE
15 October 2024
More than 60 invited guests, including the Lord Mayor of Canterbury Cllr Jean Butcher, came together on Friday 11 October, to celebrate the official opening of Kingsmead Pools & Fitness in Canterbury, following a major transformation to bring a first-class health and wellbeing centre to the heart of the historic city.
The event coincided with a community open day which saw the centre packed with people enjoying a variety of free taster sessions including soft play, gym access and Intencity classes. Staff were on hand giving tours of the centre and to answer questions.
Thanks to an £8million investment by charity Active Life, Kingsmead Pools & Fitness now boasts a brand-new gym, fantastic fitness studios, stunning health suite, changing facilities throughout, an extensively improved swimming pool and a new sports hall. A new café is coming soon.
(left to right) Matthew Saunders of Active Life, Cllr Di Baldock, Cllr Jean Butcher and Stephen Flook of Active Life in the new spin studio
One of the new studios at Kingsmead Pools and Fitness
Work began at the centre, formerly known as Kingsmead Leisure Centre, in Kingsmead Road, Canterbury, in March last year and it has undergone a significant transformation over the past 18 months to bring forward new premium facilities for all ages and abilities, with a strong emphasis on accessibility improvements and sustainability.
Speaking at the event, Anthony Cawley, Chief Executive of registered charity Active Life, said: “We have invested £8m invested in transforming the centre, and we’re delighted to be able to celebrate the opening after months of hard work. I think it is fair to say that Kingsmead is unrecognisable compared to what it was before.
“As a charity we always ask ourselves how we can best benefit the communities we serve and that’s what’s driven this project from the start, working closely with Canterbury City Council to do that. What we want to encourage and enable is a truly community-first centre, that’s welcoming and relevant, no matter what your fitness starting point is.”
Unveiling a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion, Lord Mayor of Canterbury Cllr Jean Butcher said, “Canterbury’s most long-standing leisure facility has been reborn, setting the standard for modern leisure facilities that will help meet the city council’s ambitions to increase levels of sport participation and physical activity, and support residents in improving their health and wellbeing.
Guests also included staff and contractors that have worked on the project, including lead contractor WW Martin, as well as representatives from Kent Cricket.
“That starts with providing the right environment, but in many ways these new facilities being launched today are just the start. The team at Active Life have exciting plans to take Kingsmead to the community. I’m delighted and extremely proud to have been given the honour of officially opening the centre.”
Lord Mayor of Canterbury Cllr Jean Butcher with Anthony Cawley of Active Life and the new plaque
(left to right) Lady Mayoress of Canterbury Cllr Di Baldock and Lord Mayor of Canterbury Cllr Jean Butcher try the new gym equipment, with Matthew Saunders of Active Life
Andy Griffiths, Chief Commercial Officer at Kent Cricket commented, “We were delighted to attend the official Kingsmead Pools & Fitness reopening event. Having worked closely with WW Martin, our Elite Partner, for over eight years, it was a great opportunity to see their most recent work not far from The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury, especially as we are so passionate about promoting health and wellbeing in Kent.
“I have to say, myself and all of the team, including our fast bowler Michael Cohen, who were given the opportunity to tour the centre, were massively impressed. The fact that these new leisure and fitness facilities are now available in the heart of Canterbury is fantastic to see.”
The transformation provided the opportunity to install measures to minimise the centre’s impact on the environment, reducing energy use at the complex by around a quarter to make it one of the most energy efficient in the region.
A grant awarded to Canterbury City Council by the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme enabled measures including air source heat pumps to replace gas boilers and provide underfloor heating for the wet changing area. Energy efficient ventilation systems will keep areas like the gym and studios cool. There is now highly energy efficient LED lighting throughout the building, 18 solar panels and electric vehicle charging points in the car park.
Find out more about Kingsmead Pools & Fitness, including a wide choice of membership options visit www.kingsmeadleisurecentre.co.uk.
The newly renovated Kingsmead Pools and Fitness entrance
ENDS
For media enquiries, please contact Zoe Emmitt or Lisa Harris at Pillory Barn on zoe@pillorybarn.co.uk or lisa@pillorybarn.co.uk.