The first piece of steelwork at Kirkby’s new leisure centre has been installed. 

Local swimming Paralympic champion Ollie Hynd joined representatives from Ashfield District Council and construction company Kier to sign the first girder as it went into the ground.

Work began on the site five months ago and is set to continue until early 2022. The centre, which will be run by Everyone Active in partnership with Ashfield District Council, will include a swimming pool, splash pad, fitness suite, sauna and steam rooms, adventure play, group exercise studios, sports hall, health hub and clip-and-climb. 

The new centre is being built on land between Lindleys Lane and the existing Festival Hall Leisure Centre on Hodgkinson Road. 

Along with Ollie Hynd, leader of the council Coun Jason Zadrozny, chairman Coun Arnie Hankin and portfolio holder for health and leisure Coun Kier Barsby were amongst those to sign the girder.

Coun Zadrozny said: “I want to say a massive thank you to the huge team involved in getting this project to the stage it’s at now, including everyone at Ashfield District Council and Kier. 

“Construction of the main building will now speed along over the next few months and, like many residents, I can’t wait to see it progress.

“The new centre will be a fantastic community hub for local people with state-of-the-art facilities. Along with our huge investments into Hucknall and Lammas leisure centres, this demonstrates our appetite to improve our leisure provision for everyone.”

Ollie has been an advocate for the project since plans were first put forward and is especially excited about the swimming facilities coming to his hometown. 

He won two gold medals in the 2016 games in Rio to go with his gold, silver and bronze medals from London in 2012. 

“With quality pools available in Hucknall and Sutton, it’s brilliant that we’re now going to have excellent swimming facilities available for everyone in my hometown of Kirkby,” he said.

An artist’s impression of how the new leisure centre will look.

“The plans provide an activity for everyone so this really will be a hub for all the community. 

“I’m very proud of what I have achieved in my sport and I’m sure having a leisure centre like this will bring through the next generation of world champion athletes from Ashfield.”

The £15.5m project received £1.5m backing from the N2 Town Centres programme, supporting a range of town centre investment projects across Nottinghamshire, thanks to funding from the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership. 

Lorenzo Clark, Everyone Active’s contract manager, said: “This is going to be an outstanding facility for Kirkby and the wide range of activities at the site will ensure it serves all ages and interests.

“We are proud and excited at the prospect of running the centre on behalf of Ashfield District Council and cannot wait for the doors to open.

“Everyone Active will ensure the staff at the centre deliver a level of service to the community which matches the high quality of the facilities around them.”