THE final phase of a £970,000 improvement programme at Stokesley Leisure Centre has been completed.

Having already developed the gym, cycling studio and reception, the Leisure Centre and Stokesley School have worked in partnership to refurbish the sports hall and activity room.

Funding for the refurbishment came from the Government's Conditions Improvement Fund and £210,000 from Hambleton District Council.

The timely completion of the project means that customers are celebrating the return of group fitness classes in a newly refurbished work-out space.

David Ashbridge of Hambleton District Council said: “It’s great to see the activity room reopen in time for step three of our leisure centre reopening roadmap, particularly the return of indoor group fitness.

“The refurbishment has been carried out to a very high standard and demonstrates our commitment to improving the customer experience at a time when it’s never been more important to invest in leisure facilities to support people’s health and wellbeing as we recover from the Covid pandemic.”

The refurbished activity room features a sports-specific cushioned floor, new air conditioning system, new ceiling and lighting, a new sound system and extraction fans.

New wooden doors in keeping with the recently refurbished reception area have also been added as well as new roller shutters and a full decoration of the space, including a motivational feature wall and mirrors.

Stokesley Leisure Centre manager Mike Readman said “We are thrilled to welcome customers back into our transformed activity room. We’re confident our customers will love the upgraded workout space.

"We’ve already received some really positive feedback from our group fitness coaches and our regular users.”