This weekend a community open event was held to celebrate the completion and official opening of the new Chellaram Sports Complex at Beggar’s Bush in Bristol.
The £7.9M indoor sports complex was delivered by contractor Speller Metcalfe and has replaced the previous sports dome. A new sports hall has now been built on the same footprint, alongside a small single storey extension.
On Saturday 14th September, The Lord-Lieutenant and The Lord Mayor of Bristol, along with representatives from the Chellaram Foundation and local community groups, came together to celebrate the official opening of the Chellaram Sports Complex at Clifton College Sports Ground. The event featured a commemorative plaque unveiling and ribbon cutting by Lord-Lieutenant, Mrs Peaches Golding OBE CStJ, and guests were given an exclusive tour of the state of the art facilities.
Mr. Nick Tolchard, the Chair of Council said,
“We are thrilled to be opening one of the largest indoor sports facility of any school in the South West, and excited that this will be available to generations of children and adults from across the community in Bristol and the wider area, as well as our own pupils. Thanks to the generous donation of one of our former pupils, as well as our own investment, we were able to replace an older temporary structure with an environmentally friendly facility that will enable the Clifton College Education Group to improve access to sport all year round.”
The new Chellaram Sports Complex will incorporate a multi-purpose floor that encompasses 3 netball courts, 3 tennis courts, 12 badminton courts, 3 basketball courts and 10 cricket lanes. In addition to this, the complex will include a bouldering wall, an indoor hockey pitch, space for touch rugby and numerous tennis tables.
Unlike the previous sports hall, the new development now boasts bleacher seating for 208 people to enjoy viewing sports events, as well as associated facilities such as toilets, changing rooms, equipment storage and a plant area.
Dr Tim Greene, Head of College said,
“The Chellaram Sports Complex is a wonderful facility for the College and for the wider community. It provides multiple courts for sports including netball, tennis, basketball and badminton, and has an indoor bouldering wall along with changing room facilities and a reception space. The project was made possible by the hugely generous support of Mr Lal Chellaram, a former pupil of the College, and the Chellaram Foundation.
Speller Metcalfe have been outstanding throughout the project. We could not be more impressed with this superb new facility which has been constructed to the highest standard and is BREEAM excellent, something of real importance in the light of the College's sustainability strategy.”
The sports hall has been designed to have a much-reduced energy consumption, meeting current energy efficiency and sustainability standards including BREEAM Excellent.
Mark Hudgeon, Director at Speller Metcalfe said
“We’re delighted to see the new Chellaram Sports Complex ready for use by both Clifton College and the local community. This facility now provides state-of-the-art sporting facilities for users, and is also a reflection on the project team’s commitment to sustainability.”
Local community groups will also have access to hire out the space, with Clifton College already in talks with Bristol City Council and the University of Bristol to ensure the wider community benefits from the state-of-the-art facility.
https://www.cliftoncollege.com/