ONE of Scotland’s leading leisure centres has been officially re-opened after the first phase of a £6 million revamp.Phil McEwan, the managing director of Ogilvie Construction – the main contractor on site – said: “It’s great to see the Time Capsule operational again and being a huge hit with families. This major refurbishment project breathed new life into the complex, making one of Scotland’s most popular leisure centres even more popular than ever.
“The project, which was completed just before Christmas, made major enhancements to the leisure facilities on offer – and also upgraded the plant and structures behind the scenes. Here at Ogilvie, we drew on our considerable experience in the leisure sector to deliver the enhancements on time and on budget and were delighted to be a part of this prestigious project.
“We wish North Lanarkshire Council, the Trust operating the centre, and the staff and customers at The Time Capsule every success for the future.”
The centre – one of the busiest leisure pools in Scotland – was re-opened by Tom Curley, the Provost of North Lanarkshire Council (which owns the building) on January 14.
Provost Curley said: “The Time Capsule looks fantastic and it’s great credit to everyone who worked hard to make it happen. It has a proud past and can look forward to an exciting future thanks tothe improvements that have been made. I’d like to congratulate everyone involved for making it such a success and look forward to seeing the centre continue to develop and the plans for the ice-rink coming to fruition.”
The new centre has proved to be a hit with the public, boasting over 40,000 visits since the first phase of works were completed in December 2010. This represents an increase of 130 per cent on the same period last year.
In addition to the Tornado Tantrum ride, there’s also Splashdown Island, an interactive play area. It features Scotland’s “largest tipping bucket”, which takes seven minutes to fill before unleashing up to two tons of water on swimmers below.
Councillor Jim Logue, who chairs the Time Capsule Trust, said the Time Capsule attracts people from all over the UK.
He said: “We’ve set an ambitions target one million visitors this year, so naturally we’re delighted that so many people have visited in the opening weeks. Local people have been enjoying the new facilities too, and we’ve noticed many people with young families using it during the day.
“It’s important to remember that this is just phase one of the improvements. We’ll soon be starting work on the refurbishment of the ice rink and have plans to include a health suite.”
ABOVE: Phil McEwan (first left) of Ogilvie Construction at the Time Capsule launch event. Pictures courtesy of North Lanarkshire Council.