WATER, water everywhere and plenty of drops not to drink, but to swim in. Reading Borough Council is celebrating after youngsters turned on the taps to start filling the new pool at Rivermead.
The leisure centre, which opened last year, is preparing for its new 25-metre pool to open this summer and they are now starting to fill the eight-lane venue with the equivalent of 1.7 million bottles of water.
As well as the main pool, there will be a teaching and diving pool at the flagship site.
To start the process, the council invited pupils from Oxford Road Community School, along with councillors, and representatives from Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) and Pellikaan Construction as the water started flowing.
The council says the centre is part of a £40 million investment in leisure facilities including improving South Reading Leisure Centre and Meadway Sports Centre and building a pool at Palmer Park Leisure Centre and Stadium.
Rivermead Leisure Centre’s dry side facilities, including a six-court sports hall and a 120-station gym with three studios, new soft play and café, opened last year.
Cllr Adele Barnett-Ward, Reading Borough Council’s lead councillor for leisure and culture, said: “It was wonderful to share the excitement of filling the pools with local schoolchildren. They can’t wait to try out this fantastic new facility and, of course, we are also looking forward to getting the pools and splash pad open for the whole community to enjoy.
“The new Rivermead Leisure Centre represents a significant investment in Reading by the council and provides swimming pools that are both modern and fully fit for the future.
“These two new pools are part of our commitment to ensuring that everyone in the community has access to the resources they need to lead healthy and active lives, and we haven’t forgotten the fun – the splash pad is sure to become a family favourite.”
Craig Woodward, partnership manager for GLL, said: “Progress on the swimming pools at Rivermead Leisure Centre is looking impressive, and we can’t wait to be able to welcome the public and clubs in.
“We are very excited to be able to announce an opening date soon.”
Gert-Jan Peeters, is the director of Pellikaan UK which is constructing the new centre.
“Filling the pools is a great milestone for us and we are very pleased that the schoolchildren from Oxford Road Community School are involved with the start of it,” he said.
“The opening time for the pools is coming closer, and we look forward to seeing the people from Reading using the pools.”
The opening date for the two pools and splash pad zone will be announced over the coming weeks.
