Latest
issue
press release: Parkwood Leisure
Parkwood Leisure opens new £15 million Tarka Leisure Centre, bringing the first endless ski slope to Devon
05 Jul 2022
The new facility was officially opened by British Winter Olympic Hero Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards / Parkwood Leisure
Following a £15 million investment, the new facility was officially opened by British Winter Olympic Hero Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards, celebrating the new additions including a brand new endless ski slope, which provides residents with the unique opportunity to try out skiing, snowboarding and tobogganing in North Devon.
The new centre is owned by North Devon Council and forms part of a longstanding partnership with Parkwood Leisure, which dates back almost 20 years. The site is part grant-funded and received £1.5 million from the Coastal Communities Fund and £1.8 million from the National Lottery via Sport England.
As part of the development, the existing tennis centre, which already offered six indoor tennis courts, four outdoor courts and a full-size artificial grass football pitch, was upgraded. The new site is now also home to a 25m eight-lane competition swimming pool with a movable floor, a 20m four-lane learner pool, a large 110-station gym with equipment supplied by Life Fitness, two multi-purpose group exercise studios plus indoor cycling studio, as well as a four badminton court-size sports hall. A large indoor soft play, outdoor play area and cafe complete the multi-million pound leisure facility.
Commenting on the new leisure centre, North Devon Council Leader, David Worden, said: "It's been designed and built with customers in mind, who've helped to shape the facilities such as movable floors in the swimming pools, improved access for people with disabilities and skiing too."
Glen Hall, Parkwood Leisure’s Managing Director, said: “This is a fantastic new facility, built through a longstanding relationship with North Devon Council. Parkwood Leisure is focused on the health and wellbeing of the communities we operate in and the new Tarka facility will give the opportunity for everyone in the area to get active, try something new, and offers something truly unique to the area”.
Architects Watson Batty and contractors Speller Metcalfe have delivered the £15 million project, whilst keeping the existing Tarka Tennis Facility and Falcons Gymnastics Academy fully open and operational for the duration of the build.
Tarka Leisure Centre is now open and welcoming visitors.
For more information visit: www.leisurecentre.com/tarka-leisure-centre.
More press releases and updates from Parkwood Leisure:
The project, which has been running since November 2023 has reduced Hutton Moor Leisure
Centre’s electricity consumption by up to 60,000KWh and gas by 18,000KWh with total carbon
emission savings of over 60 tonnes per year.
Leading leisure operator, Parkwood Leisure, has reported a record-breaking January through
its campaigns committed to promoting physical activity and community engagement across the
country.
Leading leisure operator, Parkwood Leisure, has reported a record-breaking January through its
campaigns committed to promoting physical activity and community engagement across the country.
Leading leisure management operator Parkwood Leisure has completed significant upgrades to
its Cherwell contract, with over £700k of refurbishments at three prominent leisure sites
having taken place in December.
Parkwood Leisure has invested more than £1m over the past 12 months in new fitness equipment,
as part of the operator’s plans to upgrade its leisure centres and improve its offering to
members.
Parkwood Leisure: news from HCMmag.com and FitTechGlobal.com
Parkwood Leisure, in partnership with its subsidiary companies Legacy Leisure and Lex Leisure, has
launched two rehabilitation programmes across 24 leisure centres in England and Wales.
The Tarka Leisure Centre in North Devon, which reopened in June after a £15m revamp,
welcomed 33,800 visitors in August – up 43 per cent from the previous year. Participation in
July had increased by 33 per cent from the same month in 2021.
Parkwood Leisure
Tel: 01905 388500
Address:
3 De Salis Ct,
Hampton Lovett,
Droitwich Spa,
Worcester,
Worcestershire,
WR9 0QE,
UK
Glen Hall, managing director
Key personnel
Glen Hall, managing director
Giles Rawlinson, commercial & finance director
Alex Godfrey, operations director
Andy Farr, strategic director
Giles Rawlinson, commercial & finance director
Alex Godfrey, operations director
Andy Farr, strategic director
Key customers
More than 30 local authorities and public sector partners across England and Wales including the London Borough of Bexley, London Borough of Lewisham, Boston, Cardiff City, Swansea, North Devon, Erewash, Vale of Glamorgan, Rushcliffe Borough, North Somerset, Bristol City, Nottinghamshire County, Cherwell, the Royal Parks and Sport Wales.
Plans for the next 12 months
Over the next 12 months, Parkwood Leisure will continue to work collaboratively with its partners to increase physical activity, tackle health inequality in the communities we serve and make a measurable difference to the quality of life of our customers.
Testimonial
“We have enjoyed a fantastic partnership with Parkwood Leisure for more than 10 years. They manage all of our leisure facilities including four leisure centres and Edwalton golf course, and the knowledge, expertise and experience they bring is first class. The slick operation they run, combined with innovative ways they’ve engaged local residents, mean we’ve never had a more physically active community and we’re excited to continue our partnership into the future.”
– David Banks, executive manager neighbourhoods, Rushcliffe Borough Council
– David Banks, executive manager neighbourhoods, Rushcliffe Borough Council
Search news, features & products:
Find a supplier:
