Boasting the only retractable commercial pool roof in the UK, Aqua Vale Swimming & Fitness Centre is a popular hotspot for swimmers all year round. Based in the centre of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, the venue combines both indoor and outdoor facilities with a network of swimming pools that together offer a broad span of water activities to attract a large scope of visitors.
Operated by Everyone Active since last spring, Aqua Vale’s wet leisure facilities include a 25m eight lane competition pool with movable floor, plus a selection of waterplay features consisting of finger sprays, fountains and bubble beds. Other attractions include a lazy river, flumes and slides. A moving roof offers the best of both worlds on the outdoor pool that is a magnet on sizzling summer days but offers all year round appeal as an equally useful asset in cooler months. “The wet facilities being the only of their kind in the area, are a real draw and mean that families are willing to travel to visit the centre,” explains Jimmy Pimblett, general manager at Aqua Vale. “It is a destination site at weekends and during the school holidays with families travelling from throughout Buckinghamshire as well as Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire, and Oxfordshire to visit.”
Jimmy explains: “The retractable roof is a huge benefit for pool users. Prior to the installation of the roof in 2012, the pool would close during lightning storms or when low air temperatures caused evaporation preventing the lifeguards from seeing the bottom of the pool.” Over the last year, Everyone Active in partnership with Aylesbury Vale District Council, has implemented a range of energy saving procedures and initiatives designed to minimise the environmental impact of the centre, as well as maximising profit whilst enhancing the user experience. The installation of a tri-generation unit that combines a CHP unit and an absorption chiller enables the centre to generate its own electricity, with the heat generated from this process being converted to cool the gym. This process has reduced energy usage, lowered CO2 emissions and decreased costs. Energy loss is also minimised overnight by raising the floor in the competition pool, as well as through pool covers to reduce heat loss and evaporation.
Aqua Vale Swimming & Fitness Centre
Tel. +44 (0)1296 488555
www.everyoneactive.com
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