Take a look inside Dartford's new £12m Fairfield gym

The new and improved leisure centre, in Lowfield Street, has a six-lane swimming pool, four-court sports hall, 95 station gym, a sauna, café, soft play area, two diving boards, and dance, exercise and spinning studios.

The sports hall can be used for activities including badminton, football, basketball, gymnastics and trampolining - whilst kids' swimming lessons start next Monday (February 22).

Mayor Ian Armitt and council leader Jeremy Kite cut the ribbon for the centre's official opening, which also marked the handing over of the facility to Places for People Leisure (PfPL).

(Front-back, left-right) Cllr Jeremy Kite, Cllr Ian Armitt, Cllr Andy Lloyd, Lewis Demarzo, seven, and Jakub Thomas, six.

Councillor Jeremy Kite said: "We knew the residents of Dartford were very excited about the opening of the new Fairfield and it was great to see the centre so busy this weekend.

"Since the former centre's closure in 2014, we've been hard at work with our partners Willmott Dixon and PfPL to create a new leisure facility which is modern, well-designed and ready for a whole new generation of visitors to enjoy.

"We love the smart new feel to the place and hope they do too."

PfPL Regional Director Tom Goodhand added: "We are proud to work closely with the council and are confident that the state of the art facilities at Fairfield will be very well received by the local community.

"Our goal here at PfPL is to get people exercising more and help them increase their activity levels.

"We have the expertise and the knowledge to continue to make projects such as Fairfield a success."

Apply for membership here or on 01322 421166.

TODAY'S TOP STORIES: