The completion of a new leisure centre for the district was marked today (Friday 11^th May) with a civic ceremony attended by many of those who have made it possible.

The new facilities at The Hive Leisure Centre in Ely will provide a range of opportunities for residents to become more active. These include an eight-lane 25m swimming pool, a learner pool with moveable floor, a 120-station gym floor, two activity studios and a four-court sports hall. There is also a 3G artificial grass pitch outside.

Councillor Richard Hobbs, service delivery champion for Leisure and Community Services at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “This is a momentous time for the district. It has taken a lot of commitment and support from the council and its partners to get to this point and I would like to thank everyone involved for their hard work and determination. We hope that the new facilities will encourage residents to get active and try out a new sport or activity. The opening of The Hive complements our Let’s Get Moving East Cambs campaign and the Council’s health and wellbeing strategy, which all works towards making this district a great place to live, work and visit.”

Councillor David Ambrose-Smith, chair of the community services committee at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “The Hive is a fantastic facility which I hope residents across the district will enjoy. I would encourage residents to visit The Hive’s open weekend and experience some of the taster sessions taking place. GLL, under their brand ‘Better’, will be responsible for managing The Hive and I look forward to working with them in the future.” 

Councillor Charles Roberts, leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “The Hive is a fantastic facility which will serve residents of East Cambridgeshire well, now and in the future.

“We have been fortunate to see the opening of a great leisure centre in Littleport last year. This, alongside the opening of The Hive, provides the district with plenty of opportunities to try something new and get active.”

The Hive will be managed by GLL on behalf of East Cambridgeshire District Council.

Residents can visit The Hive and take part in a free trial of activities (on a first come, first served basis) on Saturday 12th May and Sunday 13th May 2018.

Mark Sesnan, managing director, GLL, said: “We are extremely proud to be the operator of The Hive Leisure Centre and we are looking forward to getting more people in East Cambridgeshire more active, more often.

“As a social enterprise, we support local communities with affordable and accessible leisure programmes, and we will be giving local residents the first chance to try out the fantastic new centre for free at our open weekend.”

The leisure centre was built by contractor, Pellikaan. Director for the company, Gert-Jan Peeters said: “By working closely together with our client and their team, our goal is always to achieve the best possible sports facility. With The Hive, we have set a new level for all our future projects. The end result reflects a high-quality building reached by the combined effort of everyone involved, not the least of that of our dedicated site team, our specialised consultants and subcontractors. We thank all at East Cambridge District Council, Mace, Sport England and Space+Place for the trust and cooperation we received throughout the whole design and build process. We now look forward to seeing The Hive being opened to the public and it being used to its full capacity. We wish GLL all the best with operating The Hive on behalf of the Council."

The build was project managed by MACE. Paul Robertson, senior project manager, said: “The Hive is a project that we have been delighted to be a part of from start to finish and we trust that the people of East Cambridgeshire will find it a high quality and enjoyable facility. This project has had a large team work incredibly hard and individuals who have worked well together to deliver the new leisure centre. We have enjoyed working with the local authority to enhance the leisure offer and look forward to seeing The Hive in use by the public.”

The Hive completes the second phase of the new Ely Leisure Village, which also sits alongside neighbouring sporting clubs.

The project has been funded by East Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC) with the help of a £1.5m National Lottery grant from Sport England.

Charles Johnston, Sport England’s property director, said: “We are delighted to invest £1.5 million National Lottery funding in this new centre which has the potential to transform the way sport and activity is provided in the district and offer new opportunities for the whole community. It has been a pleasure working with East Cambridgeshire District Council and seeing how they have approached this project.

“At Sport England we want everyone to have the chance to experience the benefits that come with being more active, ranging from mental and physical wellbeing to personal development. Creating excellent environments such as these, where people feel welcome and have a great experience, plays an essential role in enabling them to become more active and more healthy.”

The Hive will be fully operational from Monday 14th May. Clubs and groups can make bookings by contacting GLL direct by emailing thehive@gll.org or calling 01353 655030.

For more information on The Hive’s free preview weekend visit https://www.facebook.com/TheHiveatEly/ or https://twitter.com/TheHiveEly

To find out more about GLL, please visit: https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/ely/the-hive

The car park at The Hive is owned and maintained by East Cambridgeshire District Council and will be complete with four rapid chargers for electric cars. The car park will be locked outside The Hive’s operating hours.