Get ready to make a big splash

The council's new 25-metre community swimming pool and teaching and diving pool at Rivermead Leisure Centre opens Monday 17 June 2024.

New facilities include splashpad fun zone for younger residents.

The 25m 8-lane main pool with partially movable floor from poolside level to 1.80m deep allows a range of activities including swimming lessons, community groups, swimming competitions, synchronised swimming, rehabilitation exercises, water aerobics, and much more.

The teaching and diving pool with 5 metre dive tower; 3 metre springboard and two 1 metre spring dives, has a completely moveable floor from poolside level to 3.7m deep.

State of the art accessible changing facilities with accessible toilet, shower, changing table and hoist. Also ‘pool pods’ for both the main pool and diving pool to enable swimmers with limited mobility including wheelchair users to get in and out of the water easily and independently. The new facilities are fully wheelchair accessible, with level access between the changing rooms and the pool.

Residents can book swim sessions from 10 June 2024 at https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/reading/rivermead-leisure-centre

There are a range of pay-as-you-go options and memberships available. Reading residents can sign up for a free Resident Card, to access 30% of the standard prices (with 50% for concessions). Visit: https://memberships.better.org.uk/centre/rivermead-leisure-complex select Single Payment as your payment type, select appropriate resident membership for £0.00 Better Adult Resident, Better Adult Concessionary (this gives you an up to 50% discount) or Better Junior. Follow the steps on the website to confirm your order and you will be emailed your resident membership details.

The modern facilities are designed with a focus on accessibility and sustainability to benefit everyone in Reading. As well as investing in new facilities, the Council is also funding targeted activities such as the Physical Activity Referral Scheme where health professionals can refer patients to low-cost programmes to help improve, manage or prevent health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and depression reflecting the Council’s overall ethos of everybody being able to share in Reading’s success.

The Rivermead community pool and diving and teaching pool complement the Rivermead dry side facilities which opened in July 2023. With the opening of Rivermead’s new pools, the Council and residents are set to celebrate yet another unique facility (alongside Palmer Park Leisure Centre and Stadium opened in December 2022) putting Reading firmly on the map regionally as a top sports destination combining the benefits of a swimming pool at Rivermead with:

• 120-station gym with 3 studios,
• 6-court sports hall with 250 spectator seats,
• accessible toilets and changing facilities
• soft play, new reception area and café
• outside play area

The new Rivermead facilities have been developed to BREEAM Excellent standards (which is the world’s leading sustainability assessment method) and with the use of renewables where possible, as well as putting in place measures to reduce carbon emissions and improve environmental efficiency. Two air source heat pumps (ASHP) at Rivermead will equate to around a 75% reduction of the carbon emission rate of the new centre’s heating system and at their peak power, Rivermead’s impressive 770 solar panels will output over 296 kW.

GLL, who run Reading’s leisure facilities on behalf of the Council, will be in contact with all centre users to ensure they are aware in good time of changes to swimming sessions.