LEISURE centres in the Malvern Hills district are set to get an investment boost of almost £2 million as a new management team takes over,.

The Splash leisure pool, Sport Dyson Perrins and Sport Martley are being taken over on April 1 by Freedom Leisure, which will operate them for Malvern Hills District Council on a a 15-year contract .

The centres are open and running as normal and this will continue from the 1 April with Freedom Leisure maintaining the same staff, opening times, activity timetable and prices. Any disruption to services during the transition will be minimal.

The £1.8 million upgrade package will include all three centres having their gyms refurbished over the summer and Malvern Splash benefiting from a new My Ride studio which will accommodate several new spin classes. There will also be a refurbished café and reception area. All centres will benefit from a new IT booking system and a range of environmental works which will reduce the carbon footprint.

Freedom Leisure’s Group Operations Director, Matt Hunt, said “We feel confident that the investment will greatly improve the quality of leisure services for the local community and provide excellent wellbeing and fitness facilities. In turn we hope the upgraded facilities will have a knock-on effect on participation levels in the area.".

Cllr. Phil Grove, portfolio holder for leisure, health and wellbeing for MHDC, said “We are committed to delivering high quality, really good value for money for all our residents and consequently we spent nearly 12 months selecting our new leisure operator.”

"We are very confident that Freedom Leisure is the right fit for the Malvern Hills district, and are looking forwarding to working with them to increase participation, improve the facilities and offer more leisure opportunities to all of our residents.”