New £7.8m leisure centre opens in Kent

The £7.8m Three Hills Sports Park in Folkestone, Kent, has been officially opened by minister for sport Hugh Robertson.

Funded entirely by a donation from the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust, the centre will act as a centre of excellence for cricket, hockey and netball.

Outdoor facilities at the centre, which is managed by Freedom Leisure, include two artificial turf pitches with floodlighting, netball courts, two cricket squares, multi-laned cricket nets and a multi-use games area.

Indoors, the centre houses a large sports hall, a health and fitness club, conferencing and function spaces, a youth activity area and a balcony bar and café.

Hugh Robertson said: "I think taking sport to young people and helping them achieve their ambitions is exactly what the Olympic Legacy should mean.

"Three Hills Sports Park brings a fantastic opportunity to young people in Folkestone that simply didn't exist beforehand."

Three Hills will be Freedom Leisure's 34th managed site in the UK and the third in Kent.