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Mar 2023

Last Updated: 21/03/2023

Community

Temporary £300,000 gym at Ripon's Jack Laugher centre to open next month

by Tim Flanagan

| 21 Mar, 2023

ripon-20th-march-2023-site-prep-for-temporary-ripon-gym

A £300,000 temporary gym in the car park at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre site in Ripon will be opening next month.

Its installation will enable the closure of the existing gym on the upper floor of the 28-year-old leisure centre next to the new swimming pool that opened last March, paving the way for ground stabilisation works costing £3.5million to be carried out under the building.

To ensure the temporary gym can be installed safely, the leisure and wellness centre and playground will be closed from 6pm Saturday (March 25) until Monday morning (March 27) .

The announcement has come from Harrogate Borough Council 10 days before it is abolished and becomes part of the new North Yorkshire unitary authority.

Last July, the council announced that the temporary gym would open 'in the autumn' (of 2022) but this date was subsequently put back.

This morning the council, which runs the site through its leisure company Brimhams Active, said:

"A temporary gym at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon is set to open next month (April) to ensure residents can keep fit and active.

"The gym will include the high-quality, state-of-the-art Technogym equipment currently available in the existing leisure and wellness centre, as well as expert advice and guidance from the Brimhams Active team.

"Customers will still be able to use the changing and shower facilities in the new pool area – as well as the sauna and steam suite – as they will remain open as normal.

"Group exercise classes will also continue to be provided at Hugh Ripley Hall."

The council statement added:

"The temporary gym, which has started to be installed, is being used to provide customers with an alternative offer while the ground stabilisation works take place.

"These works come following the discovery of a void underneath part of the original leisure centre. The void is understood to have been present for a number of years and was only discovered when the reinforced concrete slab, which provides the foundation for the new swimming pool, was cast.

"On discovery of this void, the borough council appointed a contractor to carry out a thorough investigation programme under the original leisure centre to determine what work may be required to ensure the facility can continue to be used for many years to come."

Councillor Stanley Lumley, Harrogate Borough Council's cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, and chair of the board of directors at Brimhams Active, said:

"We remain committed to enabling people to enjoy physical activity. By providing a temporary gym, while the ground stabilisation works take place, we can minimise the disruption to current and potential customers and ensure they can continue to maintain their health and well-being goals."

"The fantastic new swimming pool will also remain open as usual and continues to provide an excellent health and wellness experience."

Plan announced for temporary gym at Ripon leisure centre

Ground stabilisation work at Ripon leisure centre to cost £3.5 million

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Temporary £300,000 gym at Ripon's Jack Laugher centre to open next month

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