The Link Centre is a

leisure centre A leisure centre in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia (also called aquatic centres), Singapore and Canada is a purpose-built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people ...

Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...

, England. The building, owned by

Swindon Borough Council Swindon Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Swindon in Wiltshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. As such, it is administratively separate fro ...

and operated by Greenwich Leisure under the brand "Better", is best known for its national-sized ice rink which houses a

National Ice Hockey League The National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) is a set of professional ice hockey leagues administered by the English Ice Hockey Association. It is currently the second tier of British ice hockey, below the Elite Ice Hockey League. Formerly called the ...

team, the

Swindon Wildcats The Swindon Wildcats are a professional ice hockey team based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. They play in the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL). Since their inception, the Wildcats have played their home games at the 1600-capacity Link Centre ...

Location

The building is part of the West Swindon district centre, in Westlea, about west of Swindon town centre. The complex includes a large

Asda Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of York ...

supermarket.

History

The centre was first commissioned by Thamesdown Borough Council (later renamed

) in 1970 to provide leisure and social facilities for an estimated West Swindon population of 50,000. Design was undertaken in-house under chief

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

K P Sherry and work began on the site in 1983. The space-age, multi-axial design incorporating an ice rink, swimming pool and other facilities opened in April 1985, received an estimated 1 million visitors in its first year of operation and "won awards and favourable mentions in architectural circles." "The complex, designed to provide facilities for more than 20 sports and leisure activities, was described in architectural and sports journals as the most comprehensive development of its kind in Britain. Among the early visitors who came to Swindon specially to see it was Richard Tracey, who was Sports Minister in Margaret Thatcher's government." The £2million ice rink was praised on completion but local residents were unhappy that the swimming pool, at only 25 metres long, was not of competition standard. In 2003, the centre was closed following the finding of the

legionella ''Legionella'' is a genus of pathogenic gram-negative bacteria that includes the species '' L. pneumophila'', causing legionellosis (all illnesses caused by ''Legionella'') including a pneumonia-type illness called Legionnaires' disease and a mi ...

bacteria in the water cooling system. This bacteria, found during a routine test, is the cause of

Legionnaires' disease Legionnaires' disease is a form of atypical pneumonia caused by any species of ''Legionella'' bacteria, quite often '' Legionella pneumophila''. Signs and symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, high fever, muscle pains, and headaches. Naus ...

. The Link Centre re-opened following a full sterilisation of the water supply. In 2007 the metal-exterior centre was closed by a major electrical fault caused by an internal flood.

Facilities

* Ice rink :The international-sized (56mx26m) ice pad is recognised as a "Centre of Excellence" for both figure skating and ice hockey. It is an approved national centre for squad training for

British Ice Skating British Ice Skating (formerly the National Ice Skating Association) is the national governing body of ice skating within the United Kingdom. Formed in 1879, it is responsible for overseeing all disciplines of ice skating: figure skating (single ...

and

Ice Hockey UK Ice Hockey UK (IHUK) is the national governing body of ice hockey in the United Kingdom. Affiliated to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), IHUK is the internationally recognised umbrella body in the United Kingdom. IHUK was created ...

, and a NISA approved regional test centre. * 25m deck level swimming pool * Gym with over 100 stations and Astroturf area * Dedicated spin studio * 2 fitness class studios * 1,100 square metre trampoline park * Squash courts * Library

Ice hockey teams

A number of ice hockey teams play at the Link Centre. These include: *

Swindon Wildcats 2 The Swindon Wildcats 2 are an amateur English ice hockey team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. The team is a development team for the Swindon Wildcats The Swindon Wildcats are a professional ice hockey team based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. Th ...

Swindon Wildcats Rec Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon unitary authority area had a population ...

Swindon Topcats {{infobox sports team , image=Topcats Logo1.jpg , league=Women's Premier Ice Hockey League , founded=1990 , arena=Link Centre, Swindon , city=Swindon, Wiltshire, UK , colours=Black, White & Red , coach=Rebecca Osman , captain=Louise Fisher , man ...

Swindon Avalanche Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon unitary authority area had a population ...

References

External links

*
The Link Centre
at SwindonWeb.com {{UK Ice Rinks Buildings and structures in Swindon Sports venues in Swindon Indoor ice hockey venues in England Ice rinks in the United Kingdom