Work is nearing completion on essential structural repairs at Leisure at Cheltenham, and the teaching pool and Splash Pad will re-open on Monday 15 April 2024.

The Cheltenham Trust, which manages the centre, and Cheltenham Borough Council, the owner of the building, have issued an update to customers, members and users of the centre confirming the re-opening date.

Laurie Bell, CEO of The Cheltenham Trust, said: “We have been advised that, subject to no last-minute issues arising, we will be able to re-open the teaching pool and Splash Pad on Monday 15 April. This is positive news, and we know our users, members and customers will welcome being able to use these popular wet side facilities again.”

“We appreciate the support of Leisure at Cheltenham users and would like to thank them for the understanding they have shown while this essential repair work was carried out.”

The next phase of the maintenance work will begin shortly with the complete closure of the wellness suite from Thursday 4 April 2024. It is anticipated the work in this area will take several weeks.

The teaching pool and Splash Pad were closed in January 2024 following the findings by specialist structural engineers into areas of the building containing RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete), which advised immediate closure to ensure the safety of customers and staff.

Urgent structural repair work was undertaken to reinforce the sections of the ceiling structure containing RAAC concrete. The affected area was centred on the teaching pool and Splash Pad.

During the closure sessions usually held in the teaching pool and Splash Pad were moved, where possible, to the main pool and the activity programme adjusted to minimise disruption, and ensure service continuation as much as possible.

From 15 April the programme returns to normal with the Splash Pad open for bookings, and swimming lessons and aqua aerobics sessions resume in the teaching pool.

The centre’s programme can be seen at [email protected]