After more than two years of planning and building, a new leisure centre has finally opened to the public in Neath town centre. Making up the majority of a new, two-storey, 7,082 square metre development in Water Road, the aptly-named Neath Leisure Centre is run by Neath Port Talbot-based leisure company Celtic Leisure and boasts a 25m swimming pool, learners' pool, sauna, steam room, hot tub, 100-station gym, two exercise studios and a spacious cafe.
It's being run in conjunction with the local authority and aims to offer "something for everyone," according to CEO of Celtic Leisure, Richard Lewis. Alongside open swim sessions, the swimming pool and learners' pool will also host regular swimming lessons for children, free swim sessions for select age groups, aqua fitness classes, children's' swimming parties, and swimming lessons for school groups.
The fitness studios will host a wide range of group exercise classes including pilates, Zumba, indoor cycling and yoga, as well as several "virtual classes" delivered by video, including Body Pump, Body Combat and Sh'Bam. Ultimately, management hope to see 250,000 visitors come through the doors every year. You can get more Neath news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Alongside helping the local community keep fit and active, staff at the leisure centre also want to develop links with the local community. Community groups are welcome to book out the studios and with the leisure centre standing just a stone's throw from independent shops, cafes and businesses, management hope it will bring more footfall to Neath and help regenerate the town centre.
Plus, on the other side of the new building, you'll find the new Neath Library on the first floor - which features an adorable children's section - as well as five commercial units on the ground floor. These units are currently empty, but more information on the businesses that will be filling these units is expected to come later this year.
Explaining how Neath Leisure Centre came to be, CEO of Celtic Leisure, Richard Lewis, said: "It's been two years in the making, we're running Neath Leisure Centre in conjunction with the LA [local authority, Neath Port Talbot Council] and we realised that we needed a new pool! The old Neath leisure centre, which isn't far from here, was 55 years old and was in need of a significant amount of work done to it, so we decided to build a new leisure centre with all the facilities and make it really visible and accessible.
"We've listened to what our customers want - they've asked for a learners' pool and lane-swimming - and want this new centre to help regenerate the town centre. We hope it brings more footfall to the town."
"We're really community-focused," Mr Lewis added. "The leisure centre is in the heart of the town and the facilities are what the community wants. Our swim school, 'AquaAcademy', is based here and we also run swimming lessons for local schools and local clubs - we're already seeing a lot of people from the community come down!"
The pools
The main feature of the leisure centre is certainly the sleek pool area, located on the ground floor. A simple, large hall with blue tiling, this area features two pools which have both been designed to be accessible and suitable for all. One of the pools is a 25m pool which can be divided into lanes for swimmers of different speeds or ability during open-swim sessions, whilst the other pool is a learners' pool for parents and guardians and their youngsters, adult learners and the leisure centre's AquaAcademy swimming lessons.
Plus, if you're looking for something a bit different for your child's next birthday party, you may be interested to know you can pre-book a children's swim party on a Saturday afternoon. The main swimming pool will be available for all the party-goers to enjoy - and there will be a large inflatable to play on and jump from too!
Both pools have been designed to be accessible and suitable for all and are watched throughout the day by qualified lifeguards. There's also a good-sized spectator area running alongside the pools, should family members or friends wish to keep an eye on their loved one in the pool. Plus, both pools have a "pool pod," a piece of equipment which helps wheelchair users and people who are less mobile get in and out of the pools safely and efficiently.
Just a few metres away from the pool area, you'll find the changing village. There's plenty of space here for visitors to change and get ready for a swim and there's plenty of showers, toilets and lockers. It's located right next to the pool - but staff at the leisure centre can show you the way if you're unsure.
The sauna, steam room and hot tub
Something that sets Neath Leisure Centre apart from some other leisure centres in the county is the special "hotel-style" sauna, steam room and hot tub, known as the "health suite". These facilities, located through double doors towards the back of the main pool area, have been designed to make people think they're staying in a plush hotel and to give leisure centre users the chance to step away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, for a little while at least, and to rest and relax. Alongside the good-sized sauna, steam room and jacuzzi, there are also a handful of lounge chairs to relax in.
The cafe
Overlooking the swimming pool area, you'll find an open and spacious cafe serving breakfasts, snacks and hot and cold drinks. The cafe is open to members and visitors of the leisure centre and the general public.
The gym
Upstairs at the leisure centre, you'll find the gym - which boasts 100 stations. You'll find all the usual machines, like treadmills, indoor rowing machines and ellipticals, to name a few, as well as weight stations and a multi-station Synergy machine. Gym instructors are on-hand to help people learn how to use the equipment, whilst gym-users are free to roam the area and use as many pieces of equipment as they'd like.
Currently, the maximum number of people permitted in the gym for any session is just 18 - so there's plenty of space to enjoy the facilities. Gym induction sessions are running every week day and there are several "youth fitness" sessions throughout the week too. These have been designed for 11 to 16-year-olds to be able to use the equipment alone, but under the watchful eye of gym instructors.
The studios and changing rooms
Also upstairs at the leisure centre, you'll find a men's changing room with lockers and showers, a women's changing room with lockers and showers, and two fitness studios which host a range of in-person group exercise classes and virtual classes of varying ability level. Among the in-person classes, people can choose from Fitness Infusion, pilates, Zumba, indoor cycling, body balance, body pump, Salsasize, 20-20-20, and yoga, whilst virtual classes include Sh'Bam, GRIT Cardio, Body Pump and Body Attack. A full timetable of classes can be found on the Celtic Leisure website and app.
Prices and opening times
The gym is open from 6.15am to 9.30pm from Monday to Friday and from 8am to 7pm on weekends. People are asked to book-in to a session in advance, so that staff can manage numbers in the interests of health and safety. You can book-in online, on the Celtic Leisure app, or in-person at the leisure centre.
Standard Celtic Leisure membership - which includes access to all the facilities at Neath Leisure Centre as well as all those at the company's other centres such as Aberavon Leisure Centre and Pontardawe Leisure Centre - starts at £36 per month. Swimming lessons for children start at £24 per month.
Alternatively, you can pay as you go. A session at the gym is £7.30 (standard), £5.40 (concession) or £4.90 (passport for leisure), whilst a group exercise class for 30 minutes is £3 (standard), £.230 (concession), £2.20 (passport to leisure). A 60 minute class is £5.80 (standard), £4.40 (concession) and £4.20 (passport to leisure). A swimming session is £4.70 (standard), £2 (concession) and £3.20 (passport to leisure). Access to the health suite is £7 (standard), £5.10 (concession) and £4.90 passport to leisure. A full price list can be read online here.
Neath Library
Neath Library opened to the public on February 1, 2023, and is now located next to the leisure centre on Walter Road in the town centre. It boasts 30,000 books, 16 computers for public use, WiFi and WiFi printing, a family history research area and local studies collection, two meeting rooms and self-service kiosks. There's also an adorable children's library with child-friendly decor and a wide range of books for all ages and abilities.
Retail units
Between the new leisure centre and new library are five commercial units. Currently empty, these units are set to be filled with new businesses later in the year. WalesOnline understands the new Cadno Lounge restaurant is set to fill one - you can read more about the new restaurant here - while another unit will be filled by a bilingual childcare company. Further information about businesses in the other units is expected to come later in the year.
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