Councillor Andrew (right) and Neville Huxtable

Members of Hambleton District Council and the Thirsk and Sowerby Swimming Baths Charity checked out the Thirsk Swimming Pool facility.

The pool is undergoing a huge improvement programme – a new studio, changing rooms and improved “changing places” accommodation for disabled customers is being created alongside the new gym. The gym will open on Thursday (August 27) – the remaining work will be completed early October.

It is packed with state of the art equipment from industry leader, Life Fitness, including the ‘Elevation’ and ‘Signature’ series. The old gym is being converted into a studio for activities, meetings and parties.

“The project is coming on at a great pace,” said Councillor Ralph Andrew, Hambleton’s Cabinet Member for Health.

“The gym has been completed ahead of schedule allowing contractors, Foden Spence, to focus on other aspects of the development - the studio and changing facilities.”

Neville Huxtable, Chair of the Thirsk and Sowerby Swimming Baths Charity – which owns the pool, added: “The gym looks fantastic - just what the community has been calling out for.

“It’s a huge improvement on the previous gym and much more in keeping with the standard of facilities that Hambleton District Council operates in Northallerton, Stokesley and Bedale.”

And Mark Robson, chairman of the Thirsk and Sowerby Flatts Preservation Trust, which provided the land on which the new gym has been built added: “The new facilities, together with the improved changing rooms for the football teams that use the Flatts and the cycleway to help people get to the centre means people throughout Thirsk and Sowerby can now enjoy excellent leisure provision, whether they choose to do this in the gym, the pool, playing football or walking the dog.”

Hambleton District Council has invested £600,000 in the project with contributions from Sport England and local housing developers.