Located behind the current Festival Hall building, work on the new leisure centre started in December 2020 with an official opening scheduled for Saturday, 6th August when members of the public will be invited to attend and have a look at the facilities. A Family Fun Day will mark the formal opening on Saturday, 17th September with special celebrity guests in attendance and free activities for people to take part in.

Kirkby Leisure Centre will feature a 25m swimming pool and splash pad area, a multi-purpose sports hall, fitness suite, a fun climb wall, soft play area, steam room and sauna, a café and a wellbeing studio and sensory room. The sports hall will also host a cinema facility with 196 retractable seats.

Coun Jason Zadrozny, council leader, said: “It feels like a dream to finally be able to announce that Kirkby Leisure Centre will be opening its doors to residents on Saturday 6th August. The Council promised to build this state-of-the-art centre in 2019 and we have delivered.

“Kirkby Leisure Centre is an incredible facility that will be a huge asset to the community, not only to improve health but wellbeing too with the dedicated Mary Rose room which will be available to many different community groups. The leisure centre is the culmination of over two years of planning and building and we cannot wait to welcome visitors in a few weeks’ time.”

Lorenzo Clark, Everyone Active contract manager, added: “This state-of-the-art facility is looking fantastic and we cannot wait to open the doors, welcome the public and show them that the centre is one to be proud of.

“With an inclusive offering, Kirkby has something for people from all sections of the community. No matter what your age, ability or interests, there is something for you here.

“The imminent opening of Kirkby and the raft of upgrades that have been carried out at Everyone Active sites across Ashfield make this a really exciting time for leisure in the District.”

Coun Rachel Madden, executive lead member for Leisure, Health and Wellbeing, said: “I am so proud to say that the Council has delivered a fantastic new leisure centre, one of the best in the area, and the first ever public swimming pool in Kirkby.

“Residents now have access to the best possible facilities in three, top of the range, leisure centres across Ashfield. I encourage everyone to come down to our grand opening weekend in September to try out the different activities and meet the VIP guests!”