New Fitness Amphitheatre puts Carrickfergus Centrestage
06 August 2009
Amphitheatre opens to the public on Monday 17th August...
Carrickfergus Borough Council is making final preparations to throw open the doors of its new Amphitheatre, one of the most sophisticated, modern and green fitness and wellbeing centres in the United Kingdom.
Opening to the public on Monday 17th August and representing a £10million investment in wellness, Amphitheatre’s impressive range of public facilities has been designed to the highest standard by Given Architects, and will be priced, with access for all in mind.
The exciting new structure and its comprehensive outdoor facilities will accommodate grass roots through to elite level sports and will also offer users of all ages and abilities an extensive and highly contemporary range of health, fitness and wellbeing services.
Alderman Patricia McKinney, Mayor of Carrickfergus attended a recent preview of Amphitheatre and said:
"As Mayor of Carrickfergus and in this, our 60th anniversary year, it is great to see this fantastic facility which will be a legacy for generations to come. Thirty years ago this year we opened Council’s first leisure Centre which enjoyed years of good use and undoubtedly added to the quality of life in the community. Amphitheatre is the next generation for the Borough and was very much a team effort: architects, contractors, designers and fitness professionals have all worked closely with us to achieve this shared vision of a world-class wellness centre."
Alderman Billy Ashe, Chair of Development Services added;
"Amphitheatre represents a significant investment by Council in the future of the Borough and its residents. This project has taken two years to complete and we now have a truly enviable facility with Olympic standard equipment including the new Technogym 'personal trainer' key system. This club will I am sure be a focal point in not only the borough but in the wider region and positions Carrickfergus as a pioneer of physical culture".
Just some of the new Amphitheatre highlights include an Olympic standard, state-of-the-art fitness suite with the latest cardiovascular and resistance equipment, as well as an innovative new Kinesis room which takes a holistic approach to body and mind, offering resistance exercise in a tranquil and calming environment.
Holistic is a word that comes easily when describing the Amphitheatre. The new state-of-the-art building on Prince William Way, originally the site of the old leisure centre, is set in lush, green wetlands and the space both inside and out has clearly been designed to create a wholesome and healthful ambiance.
Outdoors, surrounded by ponds and beautiful countryside, is a floodlit synthetic sports pitch, squash courts, floodlit training area and a synthetic tennis court.
Indoors, a 25mswimming pool is joined by a themed junior pool and kids will also love the Ludo room, a colourful indoor, three storey soft play area. A large multi-purpose sports hall will play host to six badminton courts, five-aside pitches, soccer, netball, basketball, gymnastics and more, as well as providing a unique venue for concerts, exhibitions and other displays. Enhanced disability access and facilities including a lift to ensure wheelchair access throughout, improved parking facilities and block colour-code design has been employed throughout the building to enhance the experience of the visually impaired.
From concept to completion, Norman Houston, Development Manager (Leisure) at Carrickfergus Borough Council and his team have been hugely passionate about Amphitheatre and what it represents for Carrickfergus and all its communities. But his work will not stop when the doors open, and his ambition is to make Carrickfergus’s new Amphitheatre a byword for what can be achieved by ‘joined up’ thinking.
Norman said:
"In terms of competition, there is no comparable holistic offering in the market place which can match the comprehensive community offering of Amphitheatre. Customer focus is certainly at the heart of the project - quality, pricing and programming have been well considered in preparation of the final offering".
"Our key Council objectives are wholly committed to improving the quality of life for all and this project goes a long way towards achieving our goal of making Carrickfergus an attractive place to live, work, invest and spend leisure time".
"On a wider level, we expect Amphitheatre to attract a new wave of visitors, both corporate and personal from all over the province and beyond, to avail of the fabulous services which now exist. Research has already shown us that a ready market exists for Amphitheatre and that it will play an important role for community, tourism, business and the region’s general economy".
Amphitheatre opens to the public on 17th August and a full list of facilities, programmes, opening hours and prices can be found at www.carrickfergus.org.
A preview of Amphitheatre is available on Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th August when the new facility will be open for viewing on 10 - 3 both days.
For further information please contact:
Amphitheatre
Telephone: 028 9335 8888
E-Mail: amphitheatre@carrickfergus.org
