
Inside popular 90s Waterworld as it finally opens after £1.6million upgrade with wave machine and slide
THE popular 1990s Waterworld with a wave machine and water slide is finally open after a £1.6million upgrade.
With another bank holiday weekend, many of us are well and truly getting into the summer spirit.
3 The changing area at Prudhoe Waterworld has been revamped Credit: Park Leisure
3 The locker area at Prudhoe Waterworld, which has undergone a £1.6million refurbishment by Northumberland County Council
And what better way to plan for long summer days than by taking a family trip to the swimming pool.
Prudhoe Waterworld, was originally opened in 1990 by Northumberland County Council but following its major refurbishment – it's looking better than ever.
And best of all, it's open just in time for the half term school holidays.
The new wet changing area has updated showers, toilets, changing cubicles and lockers.
And for after your swim, there is now a vanity area with new lighting.
The exit from the water flume has also been improved and the main footpath into the centre has been widened to allow more access.
A new external ramp has also been added to also improve accessibility to the building so as to ensure inclusion.
The work which started last October saw the pool drained so that minor repair work could be carried out.
But now that a deep-clean is complete, the pool has been refilled ahead of the reopening.
Managed by Places Leisure on behalf of the council, the centre features the refurbished main pool, a wave pool, gym, fitness studio, soft play, and a café.
New £4million lido to open in UK next year
The rest of the facility has remained open while the work was taking place and Centre Manager Richard Anderson is looking forward to welcoming customers back into the water reports ChronicleLive.
He said: 'Following the completion of the extensive refurbishment.
'Final checks have now been made to ensure the swimming pool is in perfect condition to welcome back swimmers.
'The centre has had a great refresh and upgrade and is looking absolutely fantastic and I am sure it will be enjoyed by our customers old and new.'
In a statement on its website, Places Leisure shared the following important information: 'We are very happy to announce that we will be reopening the pool from Monday May 19.
'We thank you for your continued patience during the ongoing refurbishment work, we look forward to sharing the improvements with you.'
Elsewhere, an Art deco swimming pool in the UK with rare Victorian baths has been named one of the best in the world.
There is also a Victorian bathhouse which has been turned into a leisure attraction and will soon complete a £71million makeover with a new pool and spaces.
It's not the only art deco spa in England, 'London's oldest' with Turkish baths, with an indoor pool and affordable day passes, is open in Queensway.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
US to reduce military presence in Syria, keeping only one base operational
The United States will shut down most of its military bases in Syria, consolidating operations to a single location, as part of a policy overhaul announced by its new special envoy. Thomas Barrack, appointed by President Donald Trump last month as the US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, said the shift marks a rejection of Washington's past century of failed approaches in Syria. In an interview with the Turkish broadcaster NTV on Monday, Barrack said the troop drawdown and base closures reflect a strategic recalibration. 'What I can assure you is that our current Syria policy will not be close to the Syria policy of the last 100 years because none of these have worked,' he said. US forces are expected to withdraw from seven of eight bases, including those in Deir Az Zor province in eastern Syria, with remaining operations centred in Hasakah in the northeast. Two security sources told the Reuters news agency that US military hardware and personnel have already started relocating. 'All troops are being pulled from Deir Az Zor,' one source told Reuters in April.A US Department of State official later said troop levels would be adjusted 'if and when appropriate', depending on operational demands. Roughly 2,000 American soldiers remain in Syria, largely embedded with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a key partner in the US-led campaign against ISIL (ISIS). The SDF, dominated by the People's Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish militia, has been a longstanding point of contention with NATO ally Turkiye, which views it as linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The PKK, which recently announced its disbandment, fought a decades-long armed rebellion against the Turkish state. Barrack called the SDF 'a very important factor' for the US Congress, stressing that integrating the group into Syria's national army is now a priority. 'Everyone needs to be reasonable in their expectations,' he said. Since the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December, international engagement with Damascus has resumed under new President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Barrack recently raised the US flag over the ambassador's residence in Damascus for the first time since 2012. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticised the SDF last week, accusing it of 'stalling tactics' despite its agreement to join the Syrian armed forces.


Miami Herald
10 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Kremlin douses imminent Putin meeting with Trump and Zelenskyy
Russian President Vladimir Putin isn't likely to meet U.S. counterpart Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the near future, the Kremlin said a day after Kyiv and Moscow held another round of inconclusive peace talks. "Truth be told, this is unlikely to happen in the near future," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday, according to the Interfax news service. "President Putin supports such contacts but thinks they should be well prepared." Turkey, which hosted Monday's negotiations in Istanbul, proposed a three-way leaders' summit involving Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. Trump is "open" to meeting Putin and Zelenskyy, the White House said after the two sides failed to agree on a ceasefire. Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, presented maximalist proposals for peace at the talks, including a demand Kyiv surrender control of territory in four partially occupied regions, accept a neutral status, and agree to limits on its army and foreign military aid. The two sides laid the groundwork for another prisoner exchange. Prospects for peace remain distant despite months of high-profile efforts by Trump, who has grown frustrated with the lack of progress. Moscow has resisted a U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. While Trump has threatened to impose more sanctions on Russia, he's held off on taking that step. The latest direct peace talks in Istanbul came a day after Kyiv staged one of its most audacious aerial attacks inside Russia, destroying long-range bombers and other aircraft. A previous round of negotiations in mid-May in the Turkish commercial capital ended resulted in a prisoner swap. Monday's meeting marked only the second time the two warring sides have held public talks since the early days of the conflict. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tourist in Rhodes describes ‘whole hotel shaking' as earthquake struck
Tourists have described their hotels shaking after a magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit western Turkey and nearby Greek islands on Tuesday morning. The earthquake which hit the Turkish resort town of Marmaris at 2.17am has left one person dead and at least 69 injured. It was felt in neighbouring regions, including on the Greek island of Rhodes, waking many from their sleep. Matthew McCormick, a father of two from Belfast, was on holiday with his family in Rhodes when he was woken up by a loud rumbling noise. 'We got to bed and had just fallen over to sleep and the next thing there was just this loud, rumbling noise,' Mr McCormick, 35, told the PA news agency. 'And then the next minute, the whole hotel was just shaking. 'It was very surreal, it woke me and my wife up and my first concern was for the four-year-old beside us. 'She woke up and she started to cry. 'She was terrified – I think for us at that point, it was just trying to make sure she was OK. 'I tried to have a look at the roof, and it didn't look like there were any cracks or anything appearing in the roof. 'I figured that we were safe enough.' Mr McCormick, who is heading home to Belfast on Tuesday, said he was initially concerned about a bombing attack when he first woke up but soon discovered it was a natural disaster. 'My gut feeling was either there's been bombs landing somewhere or it's an earthquake,' he said. 'Given some of the current global politics there was a slight fear that something had kicked off here overnight.' Despite the shaking and disturbance overnight Mr McCormick reported no signs of visible damage and calm seas on Tuesday afternoon. Turkish interior minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X that a 14-year-old girl was taken to hospital and died there after what he said was an anxiety attack. It was not known if she had any underlying conditions. At least 69 other people were treated for injuries after jumping from windows or balconies in panic, he said, but there were no reports of damage to buildings. Salem Swan, a 25-year-old carer from Sunderland who is on holiday in Bodrum in western Turkey, also felt her hotel shaking. 'The earthquake wasn't that strong where we are in Bodrum, we are about 164km from Marmaris where the earthquake hit,' she told PA. 'There was some shaking around 2.15am for us but it only lasted for maybe 30 seconds to a minute here so it was over quite quick. 'None of the buildings here were affected as far as I know but we have had a leak in our accommodation bathroom which we are under the impression the earthquake potentially had caused.' Turkey sits on top of major fault lines and earthquakes are frequent. In 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed more than 53,000 people in Turkey and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 southern and southeastern provinces. Another 6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of neighbouring Syria. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is not advising against travel to either western Turkey or the Greek islands at present.