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NEW OPENING


Animal sculptures and artefacts made from recycled objects create a unique entrance into the Leisure and Culture Park In the know at Knowsley


John Bell, former director of Leisure and Community Services for Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council takes us on a tour of the recently-opened £25m Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park


leisure centre. There’s a giant fish sculp- ture outside the entrance for starters, then past reception in the vibrant foyer area there are more animal images – an owl, an eel and a zebra. These animals link to the Knowsley


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Alphabet trail, inspired by Edward Lear – who wrote ‘The owl and the pussy cat’ rhyme during his time at nearby Knows- ley Hall in the late 19th Century. Another artisan, international artist


Gordon Young, has also left his mark. He’s been working with members of the local community to create artefacts made from recycled materials taken from local disused buildings. An example of this work can be found at reception, where old school bench tops have been transformed into a piece of art by some of the facility’s Day Care Centre special needs users who are al- ready making good use of the centre’s arts and crafts provision and sensory room.


Combining sport and culture The facility ticks all the boxes for the sports, cultural, community and educa- tional needs of the local area. Overlooked by a fully-equipped audio visual control room, the six-court, multi-


his new facility, built on the former Sir Thomas Beck- et school site in Huyton, Merseyside, offers something different from a traditional


purpose hall features 700 bleacher seats with room for an additional 200 for a full-house show. The first performance has already been scheduled: Hamlet, performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company touring company. In sports mode, the hall is the home of


the Mersey Tigers Basketball team and the Liverpool Futsal Brazilian football team – which has just achieved a new world record for 37 hours continuous play


The cost of the sport and


cultural centre was met by prudential borrowing and


council reserves – to be paid back on the eventual sale of the former leisure site


at the new centre. Storage for equipment within the hall has been well planned and the additional Green Room allows for vis- iting artists and teams to have their own shower and dressing room. Encouraging regular physical activity


in the community, a fitness suite sits on two levels within the centre, consisting of 110 stations of Life Fitness, Balance Mas- ter, Stair Master, Concept rowers, Escape


28 Read Sports Management online sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital


Fitness and PowerPlate equipment while fully-trained instructors offer inclusive workouts for people of all abilities. Popular classes, such as Zumba, kick fit,


aqua boot camp and Aqua Zumba are also available, as well as the ever popular spin classes in a dedicated area equipped with 25 Keiser bikes. For balancing the body and mind, the


spa, located on the first floor, provides a relaxing environment with soft furnish- ings, low lighting and five treatment rooms; two with ensuite showers. A sau- na, steam and salt room is located on the ground floor – adjacent to the facility’s two swimming pools An excellent view of the two 25m


swimming pools is offered from the first floor. The wider pool is an eight-lane competition pool, which includes a ramp for disabled users (during my visit this pool was being used for aquarobics by Activity for Life GP Referrals clients. This pool can be used for swimming galas, with spectator seating for up to 300. The smaller 25m four-lane pool can be used as a warm-up facility in this instance. The pool’s moveable floor allows for flexible swimming program- ming within the centre.


The Velodrome and BMX Track Outside the building sits an impressive 400m-track velodrome, which features


Issue 4 2011 © cybertrek 2011


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