Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards officially opened the new Tarka Leisure Centre in Barnstaple which includes Devon’s first endless ski slope for indoor skiing, snowboarding and tobogganing.
Eddie takes a run on the endless ski slope
Eddie, who became a popular celebrity after his efforts at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, cut the ribbon at a recent special opening ceremony alongside the Levelling Up Minister Neil O’Brien MP, and then headed straight for the ‘endless’ ski slope, to try it out.
Eddie said: “The endless ski slope is such a great idea. It looks a bit like a giant treadmill but for skiing and snowboarding. When I started on my Olympic dream, I was fortunate that my hometown of Cheltenham wasn’t too far from a dry ski slope.
Eddie met Jade Kingdom during his visit to Devon. Last year the 34-year-old Barnstable resident took part in the London Triathlon to raise money for the North Devon Hospice and to prove what can be achieved through sport despite having problems with weight, balance and coordination because of Downs
“So, having this facility as part of an amazing new leisure centre here in Barnstaple will hopefully inspire people to give skiing and snowboarding a go, whether that’s just for fun or making a career from winter sports.”
The new centre, which brings all of the town’s leisure facilities onto one site on Seven Brethren, is being run by Lex Leisure and is owned by North Devon Council.
With the existing leisure centre at the end of its commercial life, council officers managed to find considerable funding without which the town would have been left without a swimming pool and other sporting facilities.
Eddie and Levelling Up Minister Neil O’Brien cut the ribbon to officially open the Tarka Leisure Centre
Categories: Club & Slope News