The opening date of a £26m leisure centre on Great Yarmouth's seafront has been revealed.
The Marina Centre will open its doors to people for the first time on Friday, August 5.
It boasts a six-lane swimming pool, learner pool and aqua play with flumes, a 120-station gym, a four court sports hall, 10m indoor climbing zone, three studios and community spaces.
The Marine Parade complex will be open on Friday, August 5 for invited local sports club and community organisations to tour and try out its extensive facilities, with the centre opening to the public from approximately 1pm to 10pm.
From August 5 more than 150 car parking spaces, including electric vehicle charging bays, will be available, with further parking opening later in August.
Centre users can claim up to three hours' free parking. There are also cycle racks.
The complex replaces the now demolished former 1980s Marina Centre.
It will be run by Freedom Leisure on behalf of owners Great Yarmouth Borough Council.
Borough council leader Carl Smith said: “We can’t wait to open the doors of the new Marina Centre so that residents and visitors can experience the fantastic new facilities on offer.
“The centre will cater for all levels of experience and confidence and is designed to be accessible to all.”
Freedom Leisure chief executive Ivan Horsfall Turner said: “We are now counting down the days to the opening of the fabulous new Marina Centre – it’s an excellent health and wellbeing facility which offers a great range of activities.
“We can’t wait to welcome the local community and visitors to Great Yarmouth.”
The centre’s opening will be further marked with a gala weekend over September 3 and 4, including a relay event featuring a specially commissioned Marina Centre torch.
The torch is based on a design by East Norfolk Sixth Form student Ednilson Dos Reis, whose artwork won a competition for local young people.
The new centre has been funded by Great Yarmouth Borough Council, plus £2.5m secured from the Government's Getting Building Fund via the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, £1.6m from Sport England, and £500,000 from the Norfolk business rates pool.
The centre’s general opening times will be 6.30am to 10pm weekdays, 8am to 6pm Saturdays and 9am to 8pm on Sundays.
For more details on membership and centre use visit www.freedom-leisure.co.uk/centres/marina-centre/
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