RiversMeet is spending £300,000 on upgrading its swimming facilities.

Gillingham’s community-owned sports and leisure centre says it is making the investment to support the future of swimming and ‘ensure the centre continues to provide high-quality services for local residents’.

The £300,000 is focused on improving the experience for swimmers both in and out of the pool. Around £250,000 has been spent on refurbishing the Wetside changing rooms, creating a modern and welcoming environment for members and visitors.

Behind the scenes, RiversMeet is also investing in improvements to support water quality and the overall swimming environment. A new system to help keep the pool water clean has recently been installed, using salt-electro chlorination technology, while a new high-temperature heating system is set to be introduced this autumn. Improvements to the pool’s filtration system will also be introduced to help monitor and maintain water quality, ensuring swimmers can continue to enjoy a clean and comfortable environment.

With swimming recognised as an essential life skill, RiversMeet says it is committed to ensuring local children and adults of any age and ability have access to high quality swimming lessons and the opportunity to build confidence in the water.

Alongside investment in its facilities, RiversMeet has strengthened its swim school, with new Swim Co-ordinator Natalie who joined the team in November 2025. With seven years of teaching experience, Natalie brings valuable expertise to RiversMeet, helping children and adults of all ages and abilities learn to swim.

RiversMeet has also been awarded Approved Training Centre Status from national governing body The Swimming Teachers’ Association (STA). This allows RiversMeet to train and qualify its own swimming teachers at the centre, helping to maintain its high standards of tuition.

As part of this development, a new parent portal is also currently in the works, and expected to launch in spring 2027. The portal will give parents greater visibility of their child’s swimming journey, allowing them to track progress and stay up to date with their development.

Jake Parry, General Manager, said: ‘We’re proud to continue investing in our facilities and the services we provide. This £300k investment forms part of our ongoing commitment to providing the best possible experience for everyone who uses our pool.’

The investment forms part of RiversMeet’s wider commitment to maintaining and developing its two Gillingham facilities, RiversMeet Active and RiversMeet Performance. With improvements already underway, RiversMeet’s investment continues to focus on providing high quality facilities and experiences for the local community, it says.

For more information visit:
www.riversmeetgillingham.org/swim-school.php
www.riversmeetgillingham.org/swimming-pool.php