New £21m leisure centre in Morpeth opens its doors to the public

The new state-of-the-art facilities include a six-lane swimming pool with spectator gallery, a learner pool and a four-court sports hall.

The £21million centre, funded by Northumberland County Council and operated and managed by Active Northumberland, will also contain a spa, a new gym and fitness area, a dedicated cycling (spinning) studio and two other fitness studios, a cafe area and soft play.

The centre in Gas House Lane was buzzing with activity as fitness classes got into full swing and the other sections started being used this afternoon.

Mark Warnes, chief executive of Active Northumberland, said: “The new facilities will transform the way sport and activity is provided in the area, offering opportunities for the whole community to enjoy.

“The atmosphere in the centre is fantastic. It’s a high-quality, welcoming and modern environment, the equipment is state-of-the-art and our experienced team of friendly staff are here to help support local people on their personal health and well-being journey.”

Active Northumberland chairman David Hall added: “The offer in Northumberland is unmatched anywhere in the country. It presents a real opportunity for the county council and Active Northumberland to work together to support individuals and families in the county in whatever way is important to them."

The centre will also incorporate the town’s library, a council customer service centre and a whole floor is dedicated to learning, delivered on behalf of the council by Northumberland Skills.

Local ward councillor David Bawn said: “This council had a vision to completely transform and upgrade leisure facilities in Morpeth and was committed to a multi-million-pound investment.

“I’m sure many happy hours will be spent at the centre by residents of Morpeth and further afield and I’m very grateful to everyone involved in delivering a fabulous facility.”

The new centre has been designed by GT3 Architect, and Willmott Dixon Ltd was the official contractor. Advance Northumberland has overseen the project management.

Council leader Glen Sanderson was present at the opening. He said: “The completion of Morpeth Sports and Leisure Centre is the culmination of an ambitious £65million countywide investment programme by this council to upgrade and transform sport and leisure facilities across Northumberland.

“It’s a business opportunity for the council – we don’t want to waste taxpayer’s money but we want to make sure these places cover themselves. A lot of councils are struggling with leisure centres and very few councils are investing in new centres like this.

“I hope people enjoy this for years to come. It’s very important to us to tackle health inequalities, and there is no better way of doing that then with a quality leisure centre.”

Cabinet member for healthy lives, Coun Jeff Watson, was also keen to stress the importance of the on-site, two storey library.

He added: “It’s about having the vision. Three or four years ago, this was a muddy hole. A place like this is somewhere people will come to spend money.”

Residents can pay as they go when they visit the centre, but can also become an Active member. For more information, go to https://bit.ly/MorpethSportsandLeisureCentre