In this week's column, Jason Brock, the leader of Reading Borough Council, welcomes the 'early Christmas present' of Palmer Park Leisure Centre reopening, which he says is just part of a substantial upgrade of the town's leisure facilities. Councillor Brock writes:

It’s very almost Christmas, and I’m sure at least some of you share my panic at having not bought presents yet. At least I hope I’m not alone…

Our town, though, already has a treat for residents, with the new Palmer Park Leisure Centre & Stadium in east Reading now open and ready for use. I paid a visit last Thursday for a tour of the facilities just before they opened to the public, and I’m confident that they won’t disappoint!

As well as the fully accessible pool – which is suitable for families, learners, and confident swimmers – there is an inviting new café, an exciting soft play area for the kids, and a state-of-the-art 100 station gym alongside fitness studios. I confess to being aggrieved at being too tall (at a mere 6ft 6in) for the soft play area, because it looks really great. Oh, and don’t forget to sign up for your free Reading Resident Card and benefit from 30 per cent off the standard prices (or up to 50 per cent for concessions).

Thanks to the Palmer Park Leisure Centre, Reading now boasts a modern 25 metre 6-lane pool linked to existing sports facilities. In combining the benefits of a pool, velodrome, and athletics stadium all in one easy to reach location we have delivered a unique facility in the region, helping to put Reading firmly on the map as a top sports destination. Hot on Palmer’s heals will be our flagship new leisure centre at Rivermead, which, when it opens in 2023, will provide outstanding new facilities including a 25m 8-lane competition pool with dedicated diving provision.

As I say often, addressing the climate crisis remains a top priority for us and we are also working hard to ensure all our new facilities have integral measures to reduce carbon emissions, being both energy efficient by design and making use of renewables. In short, our new pools and centres will not only be the best leisure facilities Reading has ever had, they’ll also be the most environmentally friendly.

This all marks a new chapter for leisure investment in Reading. We are improving and modernising services and facilities across the town so that every resident can benefit. That includes major investments in Reading’s parks and other leisure facilities, including the Ranger Station at Prospect Park, with its current 9-hole mini-golf and low ropes climbing for younger kids to be joined by a café and new outdoors play area coming next year. South Reading Leisure Centre and Meadway Sports Centre also both underwent significant overhauls earlier this year with fantastic new open plan gyms and revamped studios. And we aren’t running out of ideas – I’m hopeful that next year will allow us to announce some further innovations.

Our new, modern services will contribute to Reading's recovery from the pandemic, helping improve the mental and physical health and wellbeing of our residents. The new facilities are just one facet of our activity and investments in this goal, with public health funding targeted towards activities to reduce health inequalities.

I’d be the first to admit that our leisure project has been a long time in the making, but it is fantastic to see it finally coming to fruition. I hope everyone enjoys their dip in the new pool – and there is now no excuse not to make keeping fit and healthy one of your New Year’s Resolutions in 2023. Just don’t ask me to do the same.