North East Derbyshire District Council, the Clay Cross Town Deal Board, and Sport England, were on site at Sharley Park to bid the old leisure centre a final farewell as demolition commenced on the building which is paving way for a fantastic state-of-the-art community hub called Clay Cross Active which opens in the winter.
Work has been underway at the site for some months now, putting in the steel frame of the new building at the rear of the old leisure centre which managed to stay partially open right up until February 2024.
This new phase and demolition of the old building will see the build start to accelerate as it gets closer to completion and residents had shared their amazing anecdotal comments about the centre over recent weeks.
The new centre has been needed for some time, the old facility being tired and dated and the community had said in consultations they wanted a new centre - which Clay Cross active will deliver and much more.
However, this didn’t stop users of the centre sharing their amazing comments, looking back at how the centre has formed a cornerstone of the community helping their parents learn to swim right down to their own children in recent times and reminiscing about getting chip butties after a swim!
The time has now come to embrace the new, and in Clay Cross Active, the new community hub will be something to boast about for Clay Cross and the wider communities. It’s set to feature a fantastic tag active (one of the first in the region) for children and adults to enjoy (think ninja warrior).
The facility will feature a large modern fitness suite, immersive spin studio, sports hall, main pool and learner pool with spectator seating, changing places facility, wellness suite, soft play and interactive play and a community café.
Cllr Kathy Rouse, Cabinet Member for Leisure at North East Derbyshire District Council said, “I have fond memories of Sharley Park myself and share the views of our residents – it’s been a fantastic facility that served our community well, but now is the time to embrace the new hub which is being built and its exciting to see it progress.
It’s going to be brilliant for the town, and you can really sense the Clay Cross Town Deal coming together as works progress on the wider town areas.
Lee Barnes, Chair of Clay Cross Town Board said, “It’s a momentous occasion to be here on the final day of the old leisure centre before demolition commences. Whilst it’s sad to lose a much-loved facility, it’s even more exciting to welcome something special being built in Clay Cross Active - the facilities are second to none and no more than this town deserves.
The Clay Cross Town Deal fund will really make a huge difference to what will be on offer, not just here at the leisure centre but will really put Clay Cross on the map.
Andy James, Sport England said: “This project supports key elements of our ‘Strategy Uniting the Movement’, given the key location of the facility within a parks location it supports one of our key themes within the strategy in terms of encouraging ‘Active Environments’.
Sport England will continue this support going forward and are actively involved supporting the construction of the facility and acting as a critical friend to the council, this will continue until the centre opens and beyond.”
You can keep up to date with the latest build progress by visiting Clay Cross Active's website and sign up to our email bulletin service.