Leading construction firm Willmott Dixon in Wales is one step closer to completing the new £15 million Ebbw Vale Sports Centre with the installation of a unique attraction – the UK’s first Crazy Cone slide.
The Ebbw Vale Sports Centre is currently under construction and is due for completion by September 2013. It is part of The Works, a multi-million pound regeneration scheme of the former steelworks in Ebbw Vale involving Willmott Dixon and other contractors.
The new sports centre will replace the old Ebbw Vale Leisure Centre and will include a 25m six-lane swimming pool and viewing gallery, a fun pool with flumes and spa facilities, a multi-purpose sports hall and sports pitch, fitness suites, a dance studio and catering facilities.
The main attraction, however, will be the UK’s first ever Crazy Cone slide: only the sixth in the world and the third in Europe to be installed by Netherlands-based water park designers Van Egdom.
The blue and white structure, which consists of a series of rushing water pipes and cones through which swimmers swirl, has been taking shape since April and is almost ready to be tested.
Neal Stephens, managing director of Willmott Dixon in Wales, said “We’re delighted to be making a contribution to the future of Ebbw Vale with this state of the art Sports Centre, built on the site of the town’s past. Throughout the project we have worked tirelessly to ensure that the facilities are of the highest possible standard, so that the people of Ebbw Vale have the best sports experience when they come to use it. The Crazy Cone slide will certainly add to this experience and we can’t wait to see it in use.”
Councillor Hedley McCarthy, Leader of Blaenau Gwent Council said: “The new sports centre will add to the fantastic community provision we hope to achieve with The Works. This regeneration is all about using resources which are right on our doorstep, such as the old steelworks, to create the best possible facilities for local people. We are excited about providing the UK’s first ever Crazy Cone slide and we hope that residents come along and enjoy it when the sports centre opens in September.”
Willmott Dixon has been on site at The Works since 2008 and has so far completed three projects as part of the scheme: the new Gwent Records Office, the Ebbw Vale Multi Storey Car Park and the Ebbw Fawr Learning Community Secondary Phase. The Ebbw Vale Sports Centre is Willmott Dixon’s largest and final project on the site and will be handed over to the council in September.