Half a million visits to Arc is ‘outstanding’

A sporting celebration is in order for staff at Arc Leisure Matlock after the facility has topped half a million visits in under 18 months.
Grand Opening: The new Arc Leisure Matlock site.Grand Opening: The new Arc Leisure Matlock site.
Grand Opening: The new Arc Leisure Matlock site.

Officially opened by Olympics hero Sebastian Coe KBE in 2011, Arc cost £12-million to build and has proved to be a huge hit with Dales residents and visitors alike.

With an eight-lane main pool – complete with moveable floor that meets competition standards – the facility has quickly established itself as a premier competition venue too.

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Owing to this, attendances at Arc passed 500,000 this week and continue to be massively up on the former Matlock Lido facility that Arc replaced.

Forty local clubs also book in on a regular basis, including elite swim squad Derventio Excel – who use the main pool as a training base early on Saturday mornings.

Cllr Carol Walker, chairman of Derbyshire Dales District Council’s Communities Committee, said: “We always had high hopes for Arc Leisure Matlock and it was no mean achievement back in 2011 for this biggest single development ever undertaken by the district council to come in on time and on budget.

“However, the visitor numbers in less than 18 months of operation are nothing short of astounding and Arc’s reputation is growing.

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“We continue to receive positive feedback from users, which is really important, and Arc Leisure Matlock has made a mark on the Derbyshire Dales and beyond much sooner than any of us expected. It is a success story.”

To underline its popularity, in the week Arc marked its 500,000th visit, it also sold its 1,000th Discount Duck – a promotion entitling purchasers to cut-price swims – to regular visitor Andrea Swift from Matlock.