The £33.9 million Leighton Leisure and Community Centre has opened in Leighton Buzzard, UK, creating a next-generation public leisure, health and wellbeing hub for the local community.

Operated by Everyone Active on behalf of Central Bedfordshire Council, the centre replaces the ageing Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre and has been designed to deliver inclusive and accessible facilities for people of all ages and abilities.

More than 3,500 people visited the centre during its opening weekend, with the launch event attended by Olympic silver medallist and former world record holder Colin Jackson, alongside Maisie Summers-Newton, a four-times Paralympic gold medallist in swimming, and Olivia Newman-Baronius, who won swimming gold at Paris 2024.

The aquatics offer includes an eight-lane, 25m swimming pool with seating for 130 spectators, a 17m x 10m learner pool with a movable floor and a dedicated confidence water area to support early-years swimming.

Fitness facilities include a 150-station gym featuring Technogym equipment, group exercise studios, indoor cycling and Reformer Pilates, reflecting the increasing integration of boutique fitness formats into public leisure.

The centre also includes two squash courts, while recovery and wellbeing have been incorporated through the addition of hydromassage beds and three treatment rooms, which will be available for local health and wellbeing practitioners.

Accessibility features include two Changing Places facilities, while community rooms, meeting spaces and a café have been created to support the centre’s role as a social hub.

Gary Foley, Everyone Active’s contract manager, said: “The opening of this centre is hugely significant for the health and wellbeing of the local community.

“No matter what your age, interests or ability, there is an activity for you here.”

The development has been delivered with sustainability as a priority, with features including a high-performance building fabric, low-carbon heating and ventilation systems and materials selected for whole-life performance.

The wider site also supports active travel, with improved walking and cycling links, cycle storage and electric vehicle charging.

Simon Ramage, managing director at Willmott Dixon, which delivered the project, said: “Leighton Leisure and Community Centre represents the delivery of a modern, future-focused community asset designed to support both operational performance and long-term community wellbeing.

“By combining sustainable design principles with high-quality leisure provision, the project demonstrates how local authority developments can create lasting value for communities while also supporting wider environmental ambitions.”

Everyone Active offers a range of membership options at the centre, including its You+ membership, which combines gym, swim and group exercise classes with personalised coaching and support across health, fitness and wellbeing.

The opening comes as public leisure operators continue to broaden their remit beyond traditional fitness and swimming provision, with new-generation facilities increasingly incorporating recovery, health services, social spaces and specialist programming.

Duncan Jefford, who became managing director of Everyone Active in March after almost 20 years with the organisation, will discuss the future of public leisure when he speaks at HCM Summit on 22 October in London.

Jefford is also interviewed in an upcoming issue of HCM.

Duncan Jefford, who took over as managing director of Everyone Active in March, after almost 20 years with the organisation is interviewed in an upcoming issue of HCM and will be speaking at this year’s HCM Summit on 22 October in London.