Perth's Dewars gym on course to beat Bell's Sports Centre numbers

The Courier

25-04-2025

The new gym at Perth's Dewars Centre is shaping up to be even more popular than its predecessor at Bell's Sports Centre.
Live Active Leisure (LAL) bosses say there have been almost 100,000 visits since its launch last September.
Dewars, the centre for curling in Perth, became home to a 100-station gym, plus two fitness studios, after the previous facilities at Bell's were wrecked in the October 2023 floodgates fiasco.
LAL chief executive Paul Cromwell briefed councillors on the state of play at Dewars this week.
Latest figures show there have been 98,725 visits to the gym and fitness studios.
A total of 4,358 different customers aged 11-90 have used them.
One in four were aged 11-17, and one in 10 was over 64.
And a number of future and current Olympic and Commonwealth athletes have been making use of the fitness facilities.
Mr Cromwell says the figures are 'really positive'.
'On average, we're looking at 16,000 usages per month,' he said.
'They're on target to exceed the figures we achieved when the new fitness facilities opened at Bell's.'
Mr Cromwell updated Perth and Kinross Council's scrutiny and performance committee on Wednesday.
He said Dewars was delivering for a wide range of people, as well as elite sports men and women.
'We have over 40 athletes receiving strength and conditioning training to help them in their sports,' he said.
'Their sports include hockey, curling, basketball, swimming, judo, football and athletics, to name but a few.'
And he added: 'The fact we have got better numbers than what was a really good facility at Bell's gives us a clear reflection that people are enjoying the facilities.'
Bell's Sports Centre suffered around £2 million of flood damage on October 8, 2023 after the floodgates on the North Inch were left open.
Its gym and fitness studios had only just opened the previous summer following a £750,000 revamp.
The indoor bowling rink at Dewars had to be removed to make way for the gym gear.
Both the Dewars and Bell's centres are facing uncertain futures after councillors approved plans for a new PH2O leisure centre on the site of Thimblerow car park in the city centre.
Campaigners want the new venue to be built at Glover Street, the current home of the Dewars Centre and Perth Leisure Pool.
Sports groups are also opposing the council's plan to turn Bell's into an unheated event space with indoor pitches.
Councillors will re-examine the plans for PH2O, Dewars and Bell's in June.
• The Courier has campaigned for an ambitious new leisure complex in Perth that caters for all sports, including leisure swimming and curling.