City leisure centre to be given major refurbishment

A leisure centre in Gloucester be refurbished from September, in a partnership between Freedom Leisure and the city council.

GL1's upgrade includes a brand-new gym, improvements to the soft-play centre, updated changing rooms, a new water slide and new EGym equipment.

The women's only gym is also reopening next year with enhanced security features after visitor feedback.

Councillor Caroline Courtney, the cabinet member for culture and leisure at Gloucester City Council, said: "GL1 is long overdue an upgrade, it's what our city deserves, and we are delighted that these improvements that we committed to delivering are now ready to proceed."

The upgrades, which are expected to finish in autumn 2027 are part of an £8m investment by Gloucester City Council aiming to improve leisure facilities across the city, including Oxstalls Sports Park.

GL1 was closed down in September 2023 when previous owner Aspire went into liquidation but has since been brought back into use.

Ivan Horsfall Turner, the chief executive of Freedom Leisure, said: "We are delighted to be working alongside Gloucester City Council to deliver this significant investment in GL1.

"These improvements represent a major step forward for one of the city's most important community assets."

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