Thanks to the Manchester Evening News we can take a look back to the centre before it was turned into the fantastic gymnastics training facility it currently is. It was affectionately called the Gorton Tub and was a huge leisure pool serving the local community.
Sadly the tub was closed down in the early 2000’s with the council citing technical faults and plunging user figures as the costs to keep the old centre open rose. In 2004/5 however the centre re-opened, becoming home to the City of Manchester Institute of Gymnastics where thousands of children have benefited from the expertise and excellent equipment the club has to offer.
The Manchester Evening News takes a look back in time to what the centre used to look like. Full of tropical themed foliage, water slides and aquatic fun the pool was eventually renamed as Neptune’s Kingdom.
Now it stands as a Regional Performance Centre for gymnastics in the heart of Gorton and the club is very proud of that fact as it is even more a part of the local Gorton community than ever. The club used to be based in the former Gorton swimming pool building on Hyde Road but moved into Garratt Way with the support of Manchester City Council, SportEngland and British Gymnastics. We seem to have a bit of a tradition of moving in to swimming centres!
The club continues to grow from strength to strength and never shies away from a challenge. The latest one that we all face – Covid-19 coronovirus – is quite possible the biggest any of us have faced but we stand strong together and can’t wait until we can re-open the doors and engage with the local community once again.
