Life Leisure celebrated the arrival of the Tour of Britain in Stockport with an exclusive cycling party at its Hazel Grove centre.
The Jackson Road centre, which was located along the ‘sprint’ leg of the route, also displayed an impressive piece of ‘land art’ created as part of the community art scheme to celebrate the race.
Ross McGuigan, active communities manager at Life Leisure, said: “We’ve had a fantastic day. Everyone has had a lot of fun trying out the different bikes we have here at Life Leisure, and there was a real buzz when the cyclists came whizzing past.
“It’s been an amazing opportunity for Stockport to host such an exciting sporting event as Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture, so we were thrilled to be part of it and show our support for all the competitors on the day. The art looks fantastic and I’m sure it was a welcome sight for the racers as they turned the corner.”
Councillor Frankie Singleton, Cabinet member for Communities, Culture & Sport, also joined in the fun. She said: “We were thrilled to see the Tour of Britain pass through Stockport, particularly along the sprint section outside Life Leisure Hazel Grove. It brought together hundreds of residents to see international cyclists go through our streets so to see the buzz was fantastic. It was great to be able to celebrate Stockport Moves as part of our Town of Culture award.”
The race passed Hazel Grove Centre on Sunday, September 3, crossing through Bramhall, Hazel Grove and Marple.
As well as having a go on specially adapted bikes and taking part in fun games and activities, spectators could also see the land art created by Stockport artist Helen Middleton in partnership with Stockport Council, including community group R Time Stockport. Crafted entirely out of cardboard boxes donated by Tesco Stockport and designed to be viewed from above, it was created in honour of Stockport cyclist Alan Newton who won a Bronze medal in the 1952 Olympics.
Hazel Grove Leisure Centre is hosting an open day on Saturday, September 9 to reveal its gym refurbishment. Come along any time from 10am until 3pm.
