IMPULSE Leisure Centre at Belhus Park has secured Olympic legacy funding from Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund.
The Inspired Facilities fund is part of the £135 million Places People Play legacy programme that is bringing the magic of a home Olympic and Paralympic Games into communities across the country. Every sports facility that receives funding will carry the London 2012 Inspire mark – celebrating the link to the Games.
Impulse Leisure Centre at Belhus Park will receive £50,000 of National Lottery funding to upgrade the wet changing facilities. The improvements will include the transformation of current facilities to a “changing village” with new showers, changing rooms and lockers as well as redecoration throughout the area.
Families will be able to change together once the transformation is done. This will form the start of a refurbishment program for the centre. The centre offers a range of activities for all ages including Swimming with extensive swimming lesson programme and teaching pool, Health and Fitness Suite (cardiovascular and resistance equipment, free weights area), Group Exercise Studio, X Biking Studio, Crèche, Bar and Cafeteria, Function Room, Golf Course, Driving Range, Golf Shop.
Sport England’s Chair, Richard Lewis, said: “This National Lottery investment will create a lasting sporting legacy for Belhus Park.
“This fund has really hit the mark with sports clubs in Thurrock. It shows we’re offering the legacy that people want for their local community. For hundreds of clubs and tens of thousands of people, 2012 will be the year their local sports facilities got better.”
Impulse Leisure Chief Executive, Mike Baden, said: “We are delighted to have secured this investment, which means we can upgrade the quality of our premises. It is the cornerstone of our mission to create active and healthy communities.”
Impulse Leisure at Belhus Park is one of hundreds of projects across England benefitting from lottery investment through the second round of the Inspired Facilities fund. And Sport England today launched a further £10 million funding round to help local community sports groups to upgrade their facilities.
Places People Play is being delivered by Sport England, working partnership with the British Olympic Association (BOA) and the British Paralympic Association (BPA) with the backing of The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the London 2012 Inspire mark.
LOCOG Chair, Seb Coe, said: “This is a fantastic funding project that will deliver a real legacy from the London 2012 Games. It will provide a whole range of sporting opportunities for young people through improved facilities and will I hope inspire them to take up sport.”
