OPENED in December 2019, Brook Leisure Centre was in operation for just three months before the Covid-19 pandemic grinded everything to a halt.
Located on the Summerhill Road in the heart of Twinbrook, it was one of the beneficiaries of the Belfast City Council Leisure Transformation Programme which pumped £105 million into leisure centres across the city.
Brook itself received £15 million and the centre boasts a spacious gym with 60 workout stations including state-of-the-art Technogym cardio and resistance stations, dedicated free weight and functional training areas. The fitness studio offers a variety of classes from yoga to total body conditioning.
For the first time in the Colin area, there is now a four-lane swimming pool, complete with sensory lighting and sounds making this the largest sensory pool in the UK and Ireland.
Outside, there are seven 3G outdoor pitches. Three are covered for all-weather use. There is an outdoor hurling wall adjacent to the pitches.
The centre also includes a large indoor five court sports hall, used for multi-sports from Monday to Wednesday before it is transformed into Air Venture – an indoor inflatable park from Thursday to Sunday.
Sinead Barnes, General Manager of Brook Leisure Centre, says they are now starting to recover following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Brook was one of the most affected leisure centres in terms of Covid,” she explained.
“We had only opened three months before having to close, so the programming structure didn’t get off the ground the way we wanted it to.
“When we re-opened in July 2020, the pool was unable to open and remain closed for a further year.
“It was frustrating as it was the first swimming pool in Twinbrook but it has been opened since July this year and we have started introducing swimming lessons and our sensory programme.”
Sinead also stressed the importance of community in everything that goes on at Brook Leisure Centre.
“For me, Brook is unique in terms of its community focus. We have really good close working relationships with local councillors, community reps and organisations.
“With GLL being a social enterprise, we are able to give something back to the community.
“We opened the leisure centre to a bit of downtime, fun activities and leisure during the recent Halloween mid-term break by inviting families and local people in free of charge.”
For more information on Brook Leisure Centre, including membership and activity prices, visit the website here.
Brook Leisure Centre
32 Summerhill Road
Dunmurry
Belfast
BT17 0RP
Tel: 028 9560 9988
