Nor'West News: May 19, 2022

10
Thursday May 19 2022
New community recreation centre
‘a wonderful asset to have’
• By Emily Moorhouse
AN OLD high school gym that
has been transformed into a
community-based sports and
recreational centre will open its
doors this weekend.
The Avon Hub, formerly the
Shirley Boys’ High School gym,
has had a new lease of life. It’s
been renovated, with new basketball
backboards and hoops
and new gym flooring.
The gym will host an opening
day on Sunday from 11am-1pm
with activities and inflatables
for the kids to play on, as well
as sports games and a sausage
sizzle.
Eastern Community Sports
and Recreation community sport
manager Kate Latimer said the
Ministry of Education funded
the repairs to get the gym to a
fully functioning communitybased
centre.
“For the community, it is a
wonderful asset to have available
for the local schools for their
sport and PE development,”
Latimer said. “Local principals
are very excited to have tamariki
have access to the gym and turf
spaces.”
The building on North Pde became
empty when Shirley Boys’
UPGRADE: The Avon Hub has new basketball hoops and backboards as well as repairs to the gym flooring, while outside
it has a new turf area for teams and clubs to utilise.
High School moved to a new
purpose-built facility in New
Brighton in 2019. The school was
demolished, leaving only the
gym behind.
The Avon Hub will be used by
Pareawa Banks Avenue School
and Shirley Intermediate
School, as well as nearby Shirley
Primary School.
“For the community, expressions
of interest are being called
for from groups to utilise the
meeting spaces, which will be low
cost and affordable,” Latimer said.
She said they’ve already had
lots of interest from different
groups, but have focused on nonmainstream
sports to “give them
a home”.
The groups include Canterbury
Wheelchair Rugby, Dead End
Derby, Korfball Canterbury and
TIMA, which is an adapted sport
for high sensory needs.
Latimer said once they’ve established
the school demand for
the gym, they will offer strength
and balance programmes and
classes for older people during
the day.
She said the gym will be an
exciting asset for the community
and welcomes everyone to walk
through and have a look on
open day.
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