The Vale of Glamorgan Council, Parkwood Leisure and Legacy Leisure have unveiled a new ‘Strength Gym’ at Barry Leisure Centre.
Wales’s Strongest Man Jacob Brook – who is also a member and current user of the leisure centre – attended the official opening of the facility.
The highly-anticipated space was made possible thanks to funding from Parkwood Leisure, the Vale of Glamorgan Council and the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.This significant upgrade has repurposed an existing space to the side of Barry Leisure Centre, transforming it into a modern state-of-the art Strength and Functional training zone.
The 600 metre-square space will be fully accessible to all current members in the Vale of Glamorgan as part of their existing membership at no additional cost.
Customers over sixteen years of age will be able to use the new facility, with options for non-members to use the space on a pay-as-you-go basis also.
Luke Edwards, Centre Manager at Barry Leisure Centre, said: “The team and I have been working hard on this project over the last 18 months, so we are delighted to be able to get to the point where customers and the community will benefit. We are all very excited for the opening and to receive customer feedback on the developments.”
The new area will be home to a range of new and refurbished lifting equipment from Life Fitness, Jordan Fitness and other key partners – including 30 new pieces of resistance and strength equipment, a series of benches, squat racks and deadlift platforms.
Alongside the strength zone is the modern functional training area with two new Powermill Climbers, an Airbike, a SkiErg, Battle Ropes, Plyo boxes, Two 15 metre sled tracks and more.
The ‘Strength Gym’ is just the latest upgrade to the existing facilities in Barry, following the refurbishment of the main gym in 2023.
With the upgrade works now complete, it will also now allow the centre to expand its fitness class programme, offering more children’s activities and sports hall time.
Cllr Gwyn John, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Well-being, said: “We’re delighted to add this brand-new facility to our leisure offering in the Vale. It’s a great asset for the local community, and we were proud to support it as a Council.
“Our partnership with Parkwood and Legacy Leisure continues to thrive, with growing user numbers and the social value that comes with more people using our facilities and keeping active.”
