Work is underway to transform Highbridge’s King Alfred Sports Centre into a state of the art leisure centre thanks to a £450,000 refurbishment scheme.
The latest technology is being installed to create a new dance studio and fitness room which will provide users with some of the latest, high-quality facilities.
The centre – pictured above – will be the first to install a fully interactive studio on a school site and the first installation of its type in the UK.
“The new Prama Dance Studio which is being installed includes integrated LED lights, sensors and touch screen technology which will transform the way workouts and training can be designed and tracked,” a spokeswoman told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
“Taking group exercise to a whole new level of fun and interaction, Prama creates an immersive experience through mood lighting and luminous markings on the floor and walls. Users will be able to improve agility, coordination, fitness and speed as part of a group or single work out.”
“The Technogym fitness equipment in the new gym will allow users to access their personal fitness data from inside and outside the gym and has integrated social media, TV and Internet systems. Alongside the latest equipment will be Technogym’s MyWellness Cloud technology allowing members to track all aspects of their lifestyle through the mobile app and website. This will enable members to receive fully personalised training programmes and to enter challenges based on their activity records.”
“The gym will also be equipped with the Powerplate Training equipment and a dedicated spinning studio all of which form part of this major investment in King Alfred Sports Centre, near Burnham- on- Sea. Members of the gym will also be able to book fitness classes at the click of a button thanks to the 1610 Mobile app.”
The centre also has a fully equipped sports hall and squash court.
1610 CEO Tim Nightingale says that the investment at the centre will mean that users enjoy some of the best leisure facilities available on the market.
“Both the students at the school and the local Burnham community will have access to some of the most innovative leisure equipment and cutting edge technology that will transform the way they work out and monitor their fitness. It will also allow 1610 to extend the services on offer with an exciting mix of vibrant classes in a state of the art leisure centre,” he told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
Denise Hurr, Head Teacher for King Alfred School, added: “Seeing the building works commence on site and the partnership work between 1610, Somerset and The King Alfred School come to fruition has provided a real sense of excitement on site. The students and staff are very much looking forward to seeing the state of the art facilities up and running.”
Cllr David Hall, Somerset County Council’s Cabinet Member for Business, Inward Investment and Policy, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “I’m glad that the work is underway and look forward to its completion. It’s an exciting project and one that will bring benefits for students and local residents.”
The refurbishment follows a joint partnership investment scheme between 1610 and Somerset County Council. 1610 currently manages the leisure facilities on behalf of the Council.
Under the investment plan 1610 will contribute almost £400,000 and Somerset County Council £50,000 to transform and update the facilities and wellbeing services at the site at the King Alfred School.
Major refurbishment works are required at King Alfred Sports Centre since it was severely damaged by flooding in August 2014, due to unexpected and unseasonal heavy down pours of rain. The centre was temporarily closed for initial repair work to be carried out and for the site to be dried out. Whilst the building and services have partially reopened, the gym area has remained unavailable.
The work – which started on September 21st – is expected to take 8-10 weeks to complete with the new facilities being fully re-opened in December.
