Water lovers have been left high and dry in recent months, most recently due to the high profile closure of the Moorways Leisure Centre in March. That is all set to change however with the launch of the new £650,000 pool, which will provide a new top quality venue for teaching both adults and children.
The new pool is the brainchild of the Sarah Bates School of Swimming (SBSOS), run by Sarah Bates who has more than 25 years’ teaching experience and had the vision for her own premises over 2 years ago. After securing investment through a number of local partners and an active Facebook campaign where posts regularly receive over a thousand hits, Sarah enlisted the help of Shone Building Limited, a Derby-based national firm of leisure sector building contractors, to build the new pool.
BB&J Commercial, Derby city centre’s largest commercial property consultancy, were appointed by Shone Building Limited and the new site in Stenson was secured. The big dig began at the end of last year and just last week the pool was filled for the first time.
The pool will set a new benchmark with sensory lighting, a solar power heat exchange system and a top of the range water filtration system which cleans the water with Ozone, meaning minimal chemicals need to be added to the water.
Chris Wright of BB&J Commercial, said: “It’s very rewarding to see a project that will benefit the community like this come to fruition thanks to the sheer determination of Sarah and her team. The investment means that swimming beginners now have a stunning new pool to learn in, and the future of Sarah’s business is secure. The location is ideal, with easy access straight off the A50 and ample space for parking, making it the perfect choice.”
Sarah Bates, who has also invested herself in the venture, said: “I’m over the moon with the new pool, it’s a fabulous design thanks to the Shone team who have created a stunning looking pool and changing rooms. We have been working very hard to ensure the pool exceeds expectations of the many children and their parents who are already booked in to start their first classes and I’m thrilled with the result.”
Tim Shone, owner of Shone Building Limited and leading the build and fit out, said: “Since getting involved in this project we have worked very closely with Sarah to ensure we build the best possible facility. We’ve introduced a number of high-tech features, including evacuated tube and heat pipe technology state of the art solar panels which will heat the water and ensure the highest possible energy efficiency, colour changing underwater sensory lighting and ozone generator filtration to ensure minimal use of chlorine. I have no doubt this is a fantastic new addition to Derby’s leisure offer and will be for many years to come.”
https://www.facebook.com/SarahBatesSchoolOfSwimming/videos/1252004731494773/