Crowds flock to leisure centre (From Stroud News and Journal)

Crowds flock to leisure centre

THE GRAND opening of Stratford Park Leisure Centre on Saturday followed weeks of controversy.

But as hundreds of people checked out the £1 million makeover, complaints were still coming in at the News & Journal.

The Stroud centre now boasts a brand new health suite with sauna and steam rooms, improved male, female and disabled changing rooms, new sunbeds, an extended gym, a new cafe bar and a user-friendly reception.

It also offers a disabled lift, function facility and more than 30 group exercise classes a week.

CCL, its Oxford-based management company, claimed the refurbishment had been a tremendous success.

Managing director Craig Morgan said: "We are thrilled with the outcome."

Last week the SNJ reported that users were staging an uprising against what they described as appalling conditions and some still have grievances.

A squash player who did not want to be identified said the courts had holes in the walls and loose floor boards which had been badly repaired.

The player said money had gone into lucrative areas like the gym and cafe instead of the sports hall and squash courts.

"The leisure centre is a fantastic facility," the player said, "it just needs to have the cleaning and management sorted out.

"The staff are very nice but they are inexperienced."

A Stroud mum complained that children's parties at the centre are now £8 per head.

She said: "A couple of years ago it cost £40 to hire out the hall. "Now you have to have food.

"A lot of people in Stroud are on low incomes and can't afford that much."

Eastcombe resident Kathleen Kershaw claimed she had suffered months of unacceptable conditions and was unhappy at the lack of a running water footbath between the swimming pool and the changing rooms. She added the showers offered no privacy.

Nigel Studdert-Kennedy, the district councillor responsible for the centre, was present on Saturday.

He said he was delighted to see hundreds of people and said there was not a space in the car park when he left at 3pm.

He admitted the work was not completely finished, including that planned for the squash courts, but thought the contractors had done a good job under difficult circumstances.

"There is still work to be done," he said, "but it was fit to be opened. "Things will improve from here on.

"I hope people will use the facilities and I think there will be a much better response.

"We try to deliver what people have asked for and that will be seen to happen over time."

He added complaints are being looked at and if they were not satisfactorily dealt with they should be raised with SDC's Leisure Services department.