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Buy photos » An artist's impression of the new Queen's Diamond Jubilee Centre, due to open at the end of August.
NEW leisure facilities in Rugby will open their doors in just over two months.
The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Centre, which boasts two swimming pools and a 100-station gym, is due to open on Sunday August 31.
The state-of-the-art centre's planned July opening date was delayed by cold weather between Christmas and Easter.
Coun Heather Timms, Rugby Borough Council culture spokesperson, said: "While we are disappointed that the new leisure centre will open slightly later than planned, I know that the facilities will be worth the wait.
“We are now very close to opening day, and with the Ken Marriott Leisure Centre coming down it is now possible to see how The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Centre fits on the site, and just how smart it looks.”
The new centre in Bruce Williams Way replaces the 40-year-old Ken Marriott Leisure Centre. It will include a fitness suite doubling the size of its predecessor, a 25m eight-lane swimming pool, a studio pool with moveable floor, a six-court sports hall, a coffee shop, a crèche, and spaces for dance classes, martial arts and children's parties.
Coun Timms added: "We will soon have one of the most modern and best equipped centres for disability sport in the region, in a flexible space that will suit the needs of Rugbeians for a generation."
Charitable social enterprise GLL, which will operate the site under the brand 'Better', is providing gym facilities at the neighbouring Thornfield Indoor Bowls Club during the hiatus.
John Amatt, Regional Head of Operations at GLL, said: "The local community have been fantastically supportive to date and our staff have been working really hard to provide a good service at the temporary gym at Thornfield. We can’t wait to get the keys to the new centre and know that we’ll soon be working in a leisure centre that will be a real asset to the town.”
A new access route to the main entrance will also be in use when the centre opens its doors to the public. The construction programme remains on budget.
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