A vast new leisure centre has just opened in south London

Every Londoner needs dedicated time to unwind from time to time. Life in the city is often great fun but very tiring, so the residents of Southwark will be glad to know a brand new leisure centre has just opened right on their doorstep.

The Seven Islands Leisure Centre faithfully served the area since 1965, but like all 60-somethings, now’s a good time for it to retire. Seven Islands has now officially shut its doors, with all existing members being automatically moved over to the swanky new Canada Water Leisure Centre just down the road. It’s only a two-minute walk, so it shouldn’t cause disruption to any daily routines.

The new centre has everything you could possibly need. Of course it’s equipped with a full, spacious gym with loads of different fitness and strength equipment, but it’s also home to a 25-metre, eight lane swimming pool and teaching pool with a floor that can move up or down depending on who’s learning.

And that’s not all. You’ll find plenty of studio space for ‘holistic exercise’ including spin classes and HIIT, and a hall which can be used for basketball, football, badminton, pickleball, and more. To top it all off, all the changing rooms are modern and accessible.

There will be an official launch event on September 24, but Seven Islands members and sports groups already attended a pre-opening day last week (on August 29) where they could get a feeling for the space.

Local councillor Portia Mwangangye described the opening as a ‘landmark moment for Southwark’. It is part of a wider regeneration ‘masterplan’ for Canada Water, created in partnership with developers British Land, which hopes to build 3,000 homes, sustainable workspaces for 20,000 workers, and a brand new town square.

Mwangangye explained how the leisure centre is at the heart of this new scheme, saying; ‘Across the capital, we’re seeing local councils make difficult financial decisions that often mean leisure facilities are deprioritised. We’re proud to be bucking this trend, instead finding innovative ways to continuously invest in the health and wellbeing of our residents…

‘There’s a lot in store for Canada Water and we look forward to what’s to come.’

Did you see that an Olympic-sized lido with saunas is coming to east London?

Plus: Camden could be getting a brand-new cultural space.

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