Free swims, classes and soft play at Harrow Leisure Centre on 12 September, after a £1.4m refit. Bookings for the ticketed sessions open around 29 August.

Harrow Leisure Centre is opening its doors free of charge on Saturday 12 September, 10am to 4pm, to mark the end of a £1.4 million refurbishment (Harrow Council).

The date matters less than the booking date. Some of the sessions have to be reserved, and the council says bookings open two weeks before the event, which puts them around Saturday 29 August. Places are limited on those.

Free on the day, with no booking needed:

  • float swimming sessions in the centre’s two pools
  • soft play for younger children
  • group cycling, BodyPump, yoga, Zumba and Pilates classes
  • face painting and a bouncy castle

Bookable, and the reason to set a reminder for the end of this week:

  • a family talk, a Q&A and an adult fitness masterclass with Team GB sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey. The council’s billing also names Gladiators star Nitro as a guest
  • three interactive sessions with football freestyler Jamie Knight: a live freestyle show, a skills workshop and a meet-and-greet

The council says Aikines-Aryeetey will talk about staying active and building healthy habits, and that there is a chance for a photograph with him at the end of the session. He has been an ambassador since 2024 for Everyone Active’s Sporting Champions programme, which the council says supports more than 1,400 aspiring athletes across the UK.

What the £1.4m actually bought

The money went inside the building, not on the outside of it. The refurbishment covered:

  • a fully refurbished main gym
  • an expanded ladies-only gym
  • two larger group exercise studios
  • a larger group cycle studio

Everyone Active, which runs the centre for the council, confirms the £1.4m figure on its own page for the site and lists 180 stations across three gyms, the main gym, a strength gym and a bookable target gym, alongside two swimming pools, a nine-metre climbing wall and a table tennis area (Everyone Active: Harrow Leisure Centre). The operator also says a wellness suite is still to be added.

The work follows Everyone Active signing a new 10-year partnership with the council earlier this year. Cllr Janet Mote, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Community, said the open day was “a brilliant chance for residents to come down, get active and see for themselves the upgrades”.

What it means for you

The practical details, and the ones the announcement buries:

  • Where: Harrow Leisure Centre, Christchurch Avenue, Harrow HA3 5BD.
  • When: Saturday 12 September, 10am to 4pm. The centre’s normal Saturday hours are 6.30am to 8pm.
  • Cost: free entry and free activities. Bring a swimsuit if you want the pool.
  • Booking: for the Aikines-Aryeetey sessions and the Jamie Knight sessions only, opening about two weeks before the day, online or by phoning the centre on 020 8901 5980.
  • Getting there: Christchurch Avenue is on the council’s resurfacing list for this year, and the centre has already had one round of overnight closures outside it. Check our roadworks page before you drive. Harrow & Wealdstone station is the nearest rail and Tube stop.
  • Accessibility: the centre lists 18 accessible parking bays, ramp and automatic-door access, lift access to all floors, an accessible changing room and a pool hoist.

If the free day converts you, Everyone Active advertises a free guest pass for a first gym, swim or class visit, and lists concessionary membership rates among the centre’s accessibility provisions.

Sources