Completion of the impressive new £10.4 million Heywood Sports Village has been marked with an official handover ceremony as work now starts in full in fitting out the centre for a September opening.

Representatives of the three main funders Rochdale Borough Council, Heywood NDC and Link4Life gathered to celebrate the occasion which marked the end of a 10-year dream to improve sport, culture and leisure facilities in Heywood.

Heywood Sports Village will provide quality sports, culture and leisure facilities for the area including two swimming pools, sports hall, exercise and fitness studios and a range of youth and community rooms dedicated to arts and leisure activities.

Councillor Peter Rush, representing the Heywood Township Committee said: "This is a great day for all the partners who have worked so hard to bring this dream to reality. It will be well used and is well deserved for the people of Heywood."

Steering Group Chair, Rachel Beaver added her comments to this: "It is even more amazing than I thought it would be," she said. Going on to thank all members of the Heywood Sports Village Steering Group for giving up their time to ensure community involvement during the planning stages, she added: "Soon people of all ages will be able to see and enjoy for themselves one of the many legacies Heywood NDC has left for the benefit of Heywood residents. This is a community facility that we can all be proud of."

Chief Executive of the 'New Heart for Heywood' NDC Partnership, Vicki Devonport, also commented, "It is great to see how Heywood Sports Village reflects excellent partnership working where the community voice is heard and continues to be heard."

Heywood Sports Village will replace existing facilities on the West Starkey Street site including the thirty-five year old Gaskell Pool which closed at the end of July so final building work could be completed.

The contribution of Heywood Sports Village to the continued regeneration of sports, leisure and arts facilities in the borough of Rochdale was reinforced by Acting Head of Partnerships & Regeneration at Rochdale Council, John Percival: "This project forms part of over £34m committed by the Council over three years. The benefits from this investment touch so many lives through improvements in health and well-being and in areas such as economic growth and community safety. Coming on top of the success of Heywood's Phoenix Centre, the Sports Village will continue to transform the quality of public services provided for residents."

The exciting new Heywood Sports Village is the result of a funding package agreed by Rochdale Borough Council, Heywood NDC and Link4Life. Additional grant funding from Sport England and the Football Foundation has contributed to the development of new and improved artificial and grass pitches which surround the new centre.

Fitting out of the new facilities is led by Link4Life who will continue to manage the centre on behalf of the borough council. Link4Life Managing Director, Craig McAteer said: "Heywood Sports Village exceeds even the highest expectation and I want to congratulate all partners and thank all those involved for their vision and drive that has brought us to this day. We will not only be able to offer a much broader range of services than ever before but also meet the highest standards."

Some of the new activities earmarked for the new centre include weekly creative arts sessions, a wide range of dance and exercise classes, improved family activities and a dedicated facility for young people that includes a youth gym.