Fastest growing sport will add to Mildenhall Hub’s leisure success

The world’s fastest growing sport is set to be served to communities in and around Mildenhall next year.

Drawing on the £3.5 million Leisure Investment Fund it created for the district in February, West Suffolk Council is looking to invest in delivering two covered padel courts at Mildenhall Hub (pictured above) in 2027, although it will first need to secure planning permission.

The investment looks to further build on the leisure activity success at the Mildenhall Hub, captured in a five-year review to be considered by the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee next Thursday (November 19).

The Mildenhall Hub, an award winning, nationally significant project, bringing education, leisure, health, community and public services together under one roof, opened its doors in Sheldrick Way in 2021.

Five years on, the uptake of leisure centre membership and in various leisure activities has surpassed the council’s original expectations, justifying the original and ongoing taxpayer investment in the local community.

Abbeycroft manages the leisure centre on West Suffolk Council’s behalf.

Its figures show that leisure membership has rocketed 188 per cent since the Hub opened.

Similarly, the number of visits for fitness activities, group workouts, and swimming including lessons, has all risen steadily from 122,515 to 272,062 visits.

The opening of the Hub has enabled the leisure centre to work more closely with partners in the building such as health to benefit patient recovery and people managing long term health conditions.

On top of this, since the opening of the Hub more leisure activity has been created nearby including:

• A park run on the grounds of the Hub which attracts between 75 to 100 runners, joggers, and walkers each week.
• A free-to-use pump track created by West Suffolk Council in 2023.
• A Football Foundation PlayZone which opened on the site of the town’s old swimming pool in Recreation Way earlier this year.

Now West Suffolk is looking to further invest to create two covered padel courts on the grounds of the Hub.

Ian Shipp, West Suffolk Council’s cabinet member for Leisure and Culture and who represents the Mildenhall Kingsway and Market ward, said: “The Mildenhall Hub, the leisure activity that it offers to local communities and the uptake of these by residents in and around the town, has been a huge success.

“It’s boosting people’s physical and mental health. It’s helping people manage health conditions and their recovery.

“It is encouraging more people to get active, whether through swimming, the gym, fitness classes, parkrun, the pump track or other activities.

“So, I am delighted that we will be building on this success with further investment in 2027.

“Padel is recognised as one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Subject to planning permission we will be delivering new covered sports so people can enjoy playing this popular sport.

“This is a great example of why we created the Leisure Investment Fund to ensure our leisure facilities across West Suffolk can keep up with community demand.”

Sarah Howard, the chair of Trustees at Abbeycroft, said: “The success of Mildenhall Hub is a fantastic example of what can be achieved through strong partnerships, a shared vision and a genuine commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.

“We are incredibly proud of the role we have played in growing participation and encouraging more people to be active.

“We see first-hand the difference that physical activity can make, not just to people’s health, but to their confidence, mental wellbeing and overall quality of life.

“The Hub’s collaborative approach has created opportunities that go far beyond traditional leisure provision, connecting services and supporting people at every stage of their health and wellbeing journey.

“We are delighted to see further investment being proposed, with the introduction of padel courts offering another exciting opportunity to attract new audiences, broaden participation and inspire even more people to enjoy the benefits of an active lifestyle.”

The Hub was originally funded by West Suffolk Council, the Department for Education, Suffolk County Council, Sport England, Academy Transformation Trust and Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner. It replaced multiple ageing public facilities spread across the town on one site.

West Suffolk’s own capital contribution was £26.2m, which paid for the new leisure centre as well as office space, shared public facilities and renewable energy.

The report to next week’s Overview and Scrutiny committee outlines that, despite cost pressures relating to the national economy, the cheaper running costs of a single building have justified the original taxpayer investment and the project is still on track at year five to achieve the break-even position envisaged in the original business case.