Hundreds of local residents turned out to see Walsall College officially open its £11 Hub to the public. To celebrate the opening, the college joined forces with Walsall Council and housing provider whg to help boost health and wellbeing in the region and held a ‘Community Fit and Fun Day’ at The Hub. The event invited the whole community to take part in a 5km Walsall walk, which started at 10am from The Hub, on Littleton Street West, and headed around Walsall Arboretum with plenty of entertainment along the way. Following the walk, there was a host of free and exciting activities taking place in The Hub sports hall including football, basketball, table tennis, badminton, boccia, wheelchair football, face painting and a bouncy castle.
Barbecue food was available and visitors also had the opportunity to receive a free fitness test using the latest technology in the fantastic new gym, along with information on how to improve their health.
The Hub features a range of state-of-the-art facilities available to students as well as the general public looking to get engage in physical activity. These include a multi-purpose sports hall, dance and fitness studios, gym, spa, sports training and injury clinic. There is also a business incubation centre for start-up businesses, conference and event facilities and a 40-seat bistro restaurant.
Principal and Chief Executive of the college, Jatinder Sharma OBE, was joined by Deputy Major of Walsall Cllr Kath Phillips and local celebrity, ‘Blind’ Dave Heeley, from West Bromwich, to cut the ribbon on the new venue and invite visitors to come and have a look at the outstanding facilities.
Jatinder Sharma, OBE, said: “I am delighted that The Hub is now officially open to the local community we pride ourselves on serving. This represents a new era for Walsall as this is the first facility of its kind to be built in the borough.
“From the onset the vision has been to create a space which addresses two of the area’s key initiatives; creating a thriving economy for all by enabling budding entrepreneurs to develop the skills and confidence they need to establish their own businesses, and giving the wider community greater opportunities to improve their health and fitness, by taking part in sports and physical activities.
“I very much look forward to seeing students and members of the community taking advantage of the fantastic facilities we have available.”
‘Blind’ Dave Heeley, who became the first blind person to complete the seven-marathon challenge in 2008, commented: “I’m very passionate about the health benefits that can be gained from sport and fitness activities. I give my full backing to The Hub and the range of options that it presents to local residents, to get them more involved in physical exercise and make it a habit for life.”
