Hale Independent Issue 183

SEPTEMBER 2025 2 leisure in the borough on its behalf. She said: “This is the second site Trafford Lei- sure has opened under the new move brand, and together we are truly redefining what community leisure looks and feels like. “We’ve been abso- lutely blown away by the pre-opening mem- bership sales; it shows just howmuch this com- munity has been looking SHOWROOM: 410 Flixton Road, Flixton M41 6QY DOMESTIC & COMMERCIAL ROLLERS - ROMANS - WOOD VENETIANS - VERTICALS bd BLINDS DIRECT Flixton For a FREE no obligation quote call: 0161 749 8525 l Continued from page one “Everychildwhowalks through these doors has the potential to achieve something special, whether that’s learning to swim for the first time, competing at the high- est level or simply falling in love with being in the water like. I did all those years ago. “Coming back and showing these local young swimmers what can be done has been amazing. “To be part of the Trafford community and move Altrincham is something I’m really excited about. It is also important to me to encourage everyone to learn to swim; it’s a key life skill and unfortu- nately toomany children and young people are still drowning. “Plus, swimming is great for your wellbe- ing. It’s a low impact, full body work out, which is suitable for all.” A NUMBER of senior appointments to the Altrincham Business Improvement Dis- trict (BID) board have been announced. Local funeral director and community advo- cate Sara Fixter is the new chair of the board and has been joined by a new vice-chair Louise Shaw and finance direc- tor Samit Gupta. Louis is managing director of Omni RMS and Samit is a member of the TaxAssist Account- ants team. Since launching Full Circle in 2021 with her husband Jeremy, Sara has become a familiar and trusted presence in the local community. Known for their com- passionate and modern approach to funeral care, the couple have championed creative, wellbeing-focused initia- tives that support people through bereavement - hosting exhibitions, work- shops and award-winning community collaborations. Sara said: “It’s a privilege to step into this role. Altrincham is a vibrant and distinctive place, and I feel strongly about protecting and pro- moting everything that makes it so special, par- ticularly the independent businesses and commu- nity groups that bring it to life.” Sara brings a broad range of experience to the role. A former solici- tor and qualified bereave- ment volunteer with Cruse, she is currently training as a psychother- apist alongside her work at Full Circle. Her background in law, care, and small business management gives her a unique insight into the priorities and challenges faced by many of the town’s BID members. Since opening their funeral service, Sara and Jeremy have focused on offering thoughtful, per- son-centred care and building trusting rela- tionships, an approach Sara sees as essential to her new position. Sara succeeds previous Making the right leisure move Opening: Trafford leader Tom Ross joined other council representatives at the ribbon cutting (Photo credit: Trafford Council) forward to having its wellbeing centre back.” The refurbishment follows the success- ful redevelopment of move Urmston in March 2020 and will see further refurbish- ments carried out on a phased arrangement in Trafford at Partington, Stretford and Sale lei- sure centres. A formal celebration acknowledging the suc- cessful opening of move Altrinchamwill be held later this year, for spe- cial guests, community leaders and ‘inspir- ing locals’. ALTRINCHAM ’ S new state-of-the-art wellness centre has officially opened following a £20mil- lion transformation. A special ceremony took place to mark the opening of ‘move Altrincham’. It followed the work to revamp the town’s old leisure centre. The new facility unveiled by Traf- ford Council has two swimming pools, both equipped with accessible pool pods. There is a com- bined lobby area with pool viewing and café delivered by Altrin- cham favourite, MOST Bakery, a wet village changing area and an inclusive Changing Places toilet. The centre also boasts a new wellbeing spa facility which has been named The Cove. There is a wellness assessment room, an enlarged fitness suite, fitness changing and dry change areas, two flexible studio spaces, a live and virtual indoor cycle studio, a four-court sports hall, a gymnas- tics hub and staff rooms and offices. The new mix of facil- ities has been devel- oped with support from Sport England. Lisa Dodd-Mayne, executive director for place at the organisation, said: “We’re investing in places across England to support more people to be active. “Move Altrincham has been transformed and in turn, the lives of communities across Altrincham and the surrounding areas will be transformed through improved access to sport and lei- sure opportunities. “Our commitment goes beyond Altrin- cham – we are partner- ing with organisations and local communities across Greater Man- chester, to support peo- ple to lead healthier and happier lives.” Jo Cherrett is chief executive of Trafford Leisure, a commu- nity interest company wholly owned by the council which manages New faces at the BID Appointments: (Left to right) Louise Shaw, Sara Fixter and Samit Gupta chair Laura Shar- rock and interim chair Ewen Miller. She will work closely with the wider BID team and newly appointed board members to support the continued success of the town centre - from footfall-boosting events to environmen- tal improvements, sus- tainability projects, and practical support for local businesses. Louise Shaw also brings a wealth of expe- rience in business leader- ship and talent strategy to her role as vice chair, while Samit Gupta, TaxAssist Accountant, takes on the position of finance director, offer- ing financial expertise and insight. Mandy White, director of the Altrincham BID, added: “We are extremely grateful to Laura and particularly to Ewen who has steered the BID through two ballots, a global pandemic and everything in between. “The team is delighted that Sara and Louise will be taking on the chair and vice chair roles and that we will have Samit’s ongoing support as finance director. “ Toge t her, t h i s strengthened leadership team is well-placed to support the BID’s vision and deliver positive out- comes as we look towards the start of the BID’s third term after the suc- cessful ballot in result in June”. No part of this publicationmay be used or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure that the articles and advertisements that are carried are authentic, however the publisher accepts no responsibility for claims made. © Investors in Publishing Ltd 2025. This newspaper is publishedmonthly by Investors in Publishing, Publishing House, 3 Bridgebank Industrial Estate,Taylor Street, Horwich, Bolton BL6 7PD. 01204 478812 EDITOR Ged Henderson ged@hendersonnewsandmedia.com CONTACT JayneMeadowcroft 01204 478812 07703 045189 jayne@independentnewspapers.co.uk ADVERTISING Robin Atkins 07767 840274 robin@cheshireindependent.co.uk CONTACT US