A LEISURE centre is set to celebrate two decades of serving Halstead with a huge celebration to mark the milestone.

Halstead Leisure Centre, in Colne Road, will have its 20th-anniversary birthday party event on June 23.

The facility was opened in 2004 and is operated by Fusion Lifestyle, a charity created to promote the benefits of healthy lifestyles and encourage participation in sport and physical activity.

Fusion Lifestyle works with Braintree Council, and the Halstead Leisure Centre has two swimming pools, a 25-metre main pool, and one for teaching lessons.

There is also a well-equipped gym, two fitness studios for dance and cycling, and paying members can enjoy a wide range of activities from 9am to 4pm.

Halstead Gazette: Facility - a Street View image of Halstead Leisure CentreFacility - a Street View image of Halstead Leisure Centre (Image: Google Maps)

On its birthday, all centre users will be able to take part in a full timetable of fun activities, with many of them being free or at a low cost.

Activities include soft play, a yoga lesson, and a boutique market with a variety of stalls.

There will also be a free outdoor boot camp, a free teen stunt workshop led by a professional stuntman, Muay Thai, an introduction to yoga, an Ibiza pool party, and much more/

On the day, the leisure centre will be raising money for the YoungMinds Trust.

There will be a raffle, with prizes will donated by local businesses. A Just Giving page has been set up too.

Centre manager at Halstead Leisure Centre Jamie Healy said: "The 20th anniversary of the leisure centre is a great opportunity for us to celebrate with our community and our team.

“We are really looking forward to hosting our event.

“It is a great opportunity to raise much-needed funds for charity too and we hope we will be able to help support the valuable work of The Active Essex Foundation on the day.”

All sessions are bookable by downloading the Fusion Lifestyle app.

Residents can also download a free gym or swim pass at fusion-lifestyle.com/offers/free-pass.

Here's the full timetable for the birthday event

09:00-10:30 Soft play and Bounce, featuring the centre’s soft play and bouncy castle in the sports hall), cost £1 per child.

09:00-15:00 Birthday Market, market stalls will be set up both outside and inside the centre, including clothes boutiques, event planners, Weight Watchers, wax melts/candles, and food and drink stalls.

09:30-10:30 Yoga in our studio, cost £9.

09:30-11:30 Outdoor boot camp on the 3G pitch for teens and adults, FREE.

11:00-12:00 Teen Stunt workshop with professional stunt double Dan Chapple, FREE as part of the Safer Streets for Halstead Project.

12:00-13:00 Teen Muay Thai session, FREE as part of the Safer Streets for Halstead Project.

13:00- 14:00 Intro to yoga for adults, FREE.

13:00-15:00 Ibiza pool party in both pools, including floats and mini-inflatables, cost £1 Child, £2 Adult, Under 3’s FREE.

15:00-16:00 Football fun on the 3G pitch, football games and goal shooting, cost £1 per child.

Family swims will run at 09:35, 10:35 and 11:35 too, cost £5.45 (adult) and £4.10 (children over 3).